Hidden in the Sands of Time
by Egyptian Princess of 1290 bc
Summary: A girl from the future is dropped in Amity Park. Who is she and why does she posses her own ghost powers? Does she know a secret nobody else knows? Or is she just trying to find her own answers? First DP Fic PLS R&R DXS SET AFTER PP
1. Chapter 1

She rested on her bed, head under her pillow desperately trying to block out the constant yelling emanating from the floor beneath her. Hot tears burned behind her eyes and left trails of liquid fire down her face. In the distance she could hear the sound of a solid object slam against a wall followed by the familiar sound of glass breaking. A loud cry escaped from her lips as more tears fell forward.

This was all too much. She was too young to be handling this. She needed back the parents she once had. The ones who did went to dinners and functions together. The ones who cared for her and never let the differences in raising her take effect.

When had things changed? When had her parents gone from being equals to at each other's throats?

More yelling pulled her back from her thoughts, she couldn't take it anymore. This was not her life, she had to leave. As she pulled herself from her bed, the young sixteen year old looked herself over in her vanity mirror. Her long black hair was pulled back in the tacky pony tail while loose strands were plastered to her face with tears.

Her black mascara and eye liner stained her light complexion with dark trails. The young girl starring back at her from the mirror was a stranger to her. Who had she become and when? The sound of a door slamming signified the end of the argument…for now anyways.

She stood up carefully and quietly opened her bedroom door, daring to listen to any sounds that may pierce the silence. Seconds had passed before the soft sobs of her mother entered her ears. She was trying so hard to keep quiet, for fear her husband would come back out, for fear her daughter would hear her, but the pain was too much.

The young girl quietly closed her bedroom door and rushed back over to her vanity, slowly pulling open a drawer and reaching for her black lipstick. On the wall above the mirror she wrote her last words, as she did so she witnessed a piece of her die in the reflection. With the last ounce of humanity left she took off her necklace, letters spelling out the name 'Lilith' rested between the chains. She draped it over one of the lights and smashed the mirror with one of her black heeled shoes.

Throwing back her head she let out a loud scream. The sound bounced off the walls and echoed back to her, shaking the whole room and shattering the light bulbs. Her wail took what little strength she had left in her human form and she changed before her broken reflection.

Her parents didn't know what she was, and she made sure they would never find out. Her green eyes illuminated her now dark room as she turned intangible and made her way out of the house she had once called home. She was a monster, a beast in her own right. It was time she found a place worthy of housing her.

Later that night as she walked down the street of suburban homes, she felt a sense of loneliness take over her as rain begin to pour from the heavens. Her ghost form was retired for the night and now she remained nothing more than a sixteen year old out on the streets. Never in her life had she ever felt so alone. She began to wonder if her parents had even rushed into her room to see what had become of their only child. She wondered if they even cared.

As she exited the neighborhood she had been forced to call home for the past sixteen years she approached the bus stop and waited. Twenty minutes later her fate was sealed when the empty public transportation vehicle approached her. The words 'Amity Park' were written above the driver on the marque.

Lilith smiled to herself softly before paying her fair and taking a seat in the very back. Though no one else was aboard she felt the need to be alone with her thoughts. The tears still cascaded from her eyes and she chided herself for showing signs of weakness. She quickly wiped the offended signs of sadness and placed her headphones in her ears, blasting her music as loud as she could take it.

Lilith has been so into her music for the past hour she failed to notice that in the past time the bus had neither stopped nor pick anyone up. She glanced out the nearest window and read the only sign on the road. 'You are now leaving Highland Park'. A sigh of relief passed through her lips, unfortunately in the blink of an eye the entire world around her was frozen.

Lilith softly blinked looking ahead to the bus driver only to notice him frozen, the bus refused to move and the digital clock over the entrance remained on 10:37.

"Who's there?" She asked softly, standing to her feet to look out the windows. Nothing around her moved, all seemed as if time had stopped.

"Are we going somewhere Lilith?" A male voice asked, causing her to spin on her heel and come face to face with a man covered in a dark hood and red eyes, a scar resided over his left eye.

"How do you know my name?" Lilith asked taking a step back from the stranger. She hadn't seen him get on, nor walk up behind her.

"I know everything about you. Your parents, they day you were born, the first time you skinned your knee, every detail about you mother, and father." As he spoke fear rose into the pit of her very being. "Most importantly, I know when you're going to die."

Lilith's blue eyes went wide as he spoke with such certainty.

"Please don't kill me." She begged softly, immediately hating her idea of ever leaving home. Had her parents noticed her gone yet? Were they on their way soon to save her? Did they even care? Or were they back to yelling at each other once again?

"Kill you? No, no , no child you have things mistaken." As he spoke he aged a great deal. Now he looked older, wrinkled and had a long white beard that went past his midsection. "I am here to help you." He said offering her his hand.

Lilith took it reluctantly before being pulled through a cosmic swirl of lights and sounds. When she opened her eyes once again the dark night was long gone and was replaced with morning. She looked down below and noticed kids her age running off to school.

"Where am I?" She questioned the man, who in more ways than one wasn't even a man anymore, but instead a child.

"This is Amity Park." He spoke, his voice still as deep as ever. "Your destination." Lilith nodded in agreement. She didn't care how quickly she got there, just that she had reached where she wanted to be. She was about to take off when the man, now once again a man, spoke up. "The year is 2007, exactly one year before you were born." Lilith looked at the man as if he had just blown his top.

"Who are you?" She questioned softly.

"I am clockwork. Keeper of time." He said moving his cane to the side for effect.

"Great, and clockwork 'Keeper of time'…why did you bring me back to 2007?"

"Because you want to make everything better don't you? With your parents at home?" He questioned. She slowly nodded her head.

"Well, here is where things started to go wrong." She looked up to the building they were now standing in front of. The large brick, two-story building with the metal contraption on top and the words 'Fenton Works' boldly written sent a chill through Lilith. "One more thing before I send you off." Clockwork said. He gently picked up a small object from her chest and lifted it for her to see. _When did he put that there?_ She wondered. "Never take this off, if you do you'll be sent back home and to that bus heading for your death. Also," He trailed off, moving her collar out to drop it into her top. "Never let anyone see it. Your enemies will use it against you and others will know you're not from here."

"Got it." She said holding her hand over the lump in her shirt. "So, save my parents, fix their relationship and get back home."

"Good luck Miss Hayes." Clockwork said disappearing with a large green flash.

When Lilith looked back to the new world before her she stood in front of Casper High School.

"Well, here goes everything." She whispered to herself and entered the halls of her parents old high school.

**Set after PP, Danny, Sam, Tucker and the like are 17 in this fic**.

**Ok so this is my first Danny Phantom Fic. I promise with every fiber in my being this is a Danny and Sam love fic. Regardless of how it may look now or in the future. Please review and let me know if its worth continuing or if I should just escape from this fandom.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or any of the Characters besides Lilith Hayes. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

As Lilith entered the halls of Casper High School she felt a twinge of fear settle at the bottom of her stomach. She had no idea what she was doing here. Had no clue what her main goal was. She didn't even know how she was supposed to change the future single handedly. As numerous high schoolers walked by her she felt somewhat out of place, as if a large sign reading 'Future Freak' rested above her head in neon writing.

She supposed her attire didn't help repel any and all attention of her presence. She had on a large black shirt that read 'Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.' It was once belonged to her mother years ago and when she had found it, cut the collar so that it comfortably rested over her shoulder, exposing the light flesh. Her black skinny jeans rested on her hips, exposing her stomach and looked as if they were painted on. They came to an abrupt end where her combat boots began

"Wow! The Goths are invading!" She heard someone yell from down the hall and turned to see a tall blonde jock walking towards her. Behind him his small gang of the mindless followed and laughed. "Who are you?"

"Name's Lilith, Lilith Hayes." She said looking up from her dark lashes. Her black 'Kiss of Death' lipstick shined with every syllable spoken in the lights above her.

"And what freak hole did you crawl out of?" A petite brunette called out. She reeked of cheerleader. Bullying such as this was not new to her, she was constantly bullied at her school in the future. All she had to do was turn her cheek and walk away, but when she did that now she found herself cornered by more jocks.

"This Goth isn't half bad to look at." One of the jocks said reaching for her long black hair. She desperately wanted to disappear from them all, but knew any use of ghost powers would mark her as a complete freak, possibly even death.

"Alright! Alirght! You kids back off." An older male voice called out into the mess. Lilith watched as everyone dispersed and went about their morning routine. "You must be the new girl." He spoke looking down to Lilith. She nodded her head slowly and watched as he pulled out a piece of white paper. "Here's your schedule." She took it from his grasp just as the bell rang. "Oh and lookie here, you're already late for your first class. Not a good way to start out your first day." She looked the balding man up and down before quietly making her way down the hall and to her class.

How had he known she was new? Did that weird Clockwork guy tip him off? Why did she have to attend school anyways? She should just be able to fix her problem and go back home.

As she entered the loud class room she noticed a breeze of cold air run through her from the door way. She hugged herself to break the chill and covered her mouth with a quick hand when she exhaled and saw her breath. She wasn't sure what had caused the change in temperature, but knew she was the only one that felt it.

"Please take your seat Miss Hayes." The man from only moments ago in the hall spoke as he followed in behind her.

She shyly took a step forward and took her seat in the nearest available desk, which was also in the back of the classroom. It was only when she managed to shake the chill did she realize the man before her was her new teacher Mr. Lancer. As he wrote on the chalk board about who-cared-what, Lilith allowed herself to take in her surroundings. Everyone seemed completely oblivious to the fact that class had started. _Guess something's never change, no matter what year it is. _She thought.

Something pulled her attention to the corner of the room where she stared at a young couple whispering sweet nothings in the others ear. The girl looked somewhat familiar in her dark clothes and combat boots, but she pushed any thoughts aside and looked to the boy she was so interested in. He was young, with black hair and blue eyes. He looked as if she had seen him before too, but only in old photos her mother had once shown her when she was young. She felt a strange connection with the two and promised to find out why later.

"Miss Manson, Mister Fenton, please pay attention." Mr. Lancer spoke slightly peeved.

"Sorry Mr. Lancer." They spoke in unison and pulled away shamelessly. Only when they had parted did Lilith notice the young woman. She was so hauntingly familiar. She had seen those eyes, violet and soft, a million and one times over. Heard soft and scolding words fall from her lips, not to mention felt her delicate hands rub an aching stomach once or twice in her youth.

"MOM?" Her mind screamed out. She looked hauntingly like her mother. Her mother and her were the same age, only now did it fully hit her that she was in the past. Looking to the seventeen year old version of her mother brought so many questions forward. What was going to happen that she had to change? And who was the guy her mother was currently playing tonsil hockey with? It sure wasn't her father. She felt her heart start racing and her lungs beginning to take in less oxygen with every second. She only prayed class would be over soon. VERY SOON!

It was only a few hours until school let out, she knew she had to get close to her mother and find out all she could without being caught or giving up too much information. As she exited the building of Casper High she saw her mom standing at the bottom of the stairs with the same boy from earlier. Again the chill filled her and she felt a twinge of uncertainty in her stomach. What was with her getting cold all of a sudden? It had never happened before.

"So, Tuck." Her mother spoke so calmly. "Are you able to hang out with us at the Nasty Burger, or do you have Mayoral duties to tend to?" Sarcasm ruled the last part of her question and in that moment Lilith finally understood why her father constantly told her she was a lot like her mother.

"Nope, I'm free this whole afternoon." The dark skinned boy said looking to an electronic device in his hands.

"Sweet, let's go." The other boy said taking Lilith's mother by the hand and dragging her along with him, oddly she went more than willingly.

It wasn't long until Lilith found herself at a burger joint most of the teens from the high school frequented. She watched as the trio ordered and sat down with their meals, completely oblivious to her presence. She ordered a salad and sat alone a mere two tables down from them and listened attentively to their conversation.

"So you guys will be dating three years in only three months. You have anything special planned?" Tucker asked taking a rather large bite of his burger.

"Well nothing as of yet, but whatever we do, I want it to be something neither of us will forget." Danny spoke taking Sam's hand in his own as the two blushed.

_Gross._ Lilith thought _this guy is totally gaga over my mother. AND he's not even my dad._ She took a small bite of her salad, and found herself eating rather quickly. It had been at least twelve hours since she had last eaten. Her mother had made tofu stir fry before she had run away and Lilith had only managed to get a small amount down. Luckily she had packed every penny she owned and was able to spend it here.

"Whatever we do Danny, it'll be perfect. I'm sure." Sam spoke up, pecking the boys cheek softly. Suddenly Lilith lost her appetite and took to playing with her food, loosing herself in her thoughts. When she finally came back, she realized her mother was long gone along with her two friends.

Taking a deep breath, Lilith got up from her seat, threw her remaining food away and left the Nasty Burger. She took the sights of the town in, wondering who the people around her would grow up to be. If she knew any of them back home, and trying to figure out why her mother would leave behind her home town of Amity Park behind for a boring life in Highland Park.

As she came to city hall she stopped in her tracks. Before her stood a large statue of a boy, his hair coiffed upwards and in a jumpsuit holding the globe above his head. The pose alone stated he was a hero and loved by all. However, the more she looked at him, the more she couldn't help but feel she knew him.

"Hi." The male voice pulled Lilith out of her head. "You must be new, I don't recall seeing you around." The voice belonged to the techno geek her mother had been hanging out with earlier. She knew his title as techno geek and mayor because he had mentioned it five times while eating lunch earlier.

"No, I'm new in town. Names Lilith, Lilith Hayes." She said offering him her hand.

"Tucker Foley. Well Mayor Tucker Foley, but you can call me Tucker." He said shaking her hand. "Welcome to Amity Park. Did you just move here?"

"Yeah, My mom and I did, just got here today." She half lied. Technically her mother and her were in Amity Park, and she did just arrive.

"Well make yourself at home, we always enjoy new members to our town. Any questions don't be afraid to ask." He sounded more mature than Lilith originally gave him credit for.

"Who's this statue of?" She asked dryly.

"That's Danny Phantom. He saved with world three years ago from an asteroid. All major cities around the globe have the same matching statue." He looked at her as if she had just escaped from a rock. "You don't know about Danny Phantom?" Lilith softly shook her head 'No' before opening her mouth once again.

"Danny Phantom? He looks a lot like Danny Fenton from my English class." She said stumbling over his name.

"He is." Tucker stated matter-of-factly. "You have Lancer for English too?"

"Mmm-hmm." She said nodding happily. "What do you mean he is?"

"Danny's half-human half-ghost."

"Are you serious?" Lilith asked, her curiosity suddenly peaked. _I'm not the only one? There's another like me? And he's dating my mom? _

"Oh yeah. He's been a Halfa for the greater part of his teenage life. You seriously didn't know?"

"A Halfa? There's a name for it?" She whispered more to herself, but still Tucker heard her and nodded his head in agreement.

"Thank you so much Mayor Tucker for all your help, but I better get home before my mother worries." She lied needing time to think.

"Ok, have a nice night. See you tomorrow in school." Tucker said looking at her oddly as she ran off to the nearest park. "Strange girl." He muttered under his breath turning to admire the statue before him. His best friend.

_So Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom. Both ghost and human. Both are dating a seventeen year old version of my mom and everyone knows he's different. They live in peace with him. How is it I suffer the same fate he does when he lives it freely and I'm forced to hide it? My mother would never be able to look at me the same way. Or so I thought. Maybe she'd understand, but then again maybe not. My father would disown me. That much was for sure. What's the connection between me and the other like me? What was I sent here to change?_

Lilith sat on the park bench running thought after thought through her head and not once getting closer to an answer. She looked up to the clear night sky and wished her mother and her talked more, maybe then things would make a little more sense. Maybe if her dad took time to understand his only daughter she'd understand how her mom could go from being madly in love with one man to marrying another.

As she sat there staring at the consolations another chill passed through her bones. As she released her breath she noticed she could see it once again; before she even had time to think a being appeared before her. It had on a metallic suit with gadgets lining the outside and a wicked smile.

"I am Skulker!" He pronounced proudly looking her up and down. "And I am a collector of all things unique...and you child are _very_ unique."

"GHOST!" Lilith screamed out as panic set into her very being. Before she even had time to react she could hear someone approaching. Both her gaze and the one of the Ghost turned to the source to see Danny Phantom heading towards them.

"HEY! Why don't you pick on someone your own size." He yelled out pulling Skulker's attention away from Lilith.

"AAHHHHH!" Lilith screamed out as she felt a hand land on her shoulder and turned to see who the intruder was. Her heart ceased to beat and she let out another scream at she looked into the eyes of her saver.

**PLEASE REVIEW**


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to start by thank all those who have read my story and a special thanks to all those who have reviewed. it's with the kind words/constructive criticism that I find a reason to continue writting. **

**Also I HOPE to have a chapter up every sunday night, if not earlier. so please be on the look out.**

Lilith stopped screaming as the person in front of her clapped their hand over her mouth. She stared into the violet eyes she had seen day after day and noticed something different about them. They held a fire, a passion for life and its many awaiting adventures. The flames in the eyes she knew so well had died out, replaced with hurt and tears. She wondered when exactly the flames had gone out and why. It killed her to see her mother now, only to be reminded of the broken version she left behind in the future.

"I'm gonna move my hand now, ok?" Lilith nodded being pulled back to that moment. "And you're not gonna scream. Are you?" She shook her head 'no' and closed her mouth as the delicate hand fell from her face. "Good. Now come on." She said grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the line of fire. Once they were safe behind a tree Lilith noticed her mother pulling a thermos out of her backpack, she looked to the teen oddly.

"I don't think now is a good time to have some soup." Sam looked to the girl confused before laughing softly.

"It's not that kind of a thermos." Sam said jumping out from behind the tree, giving their location away, and yelled at the white haired teenage ghost. "DANNY! CATCH!" She hollered and Lilith watched quietly as her mother threw the cylinder object in the air just as Danny Phantom flew by and caught it. The next few seconds happened in slow motion as Lilith watched Danny open the thermos and suck the other ghost into it as if it was an everyday thing.

For all Lilith knew, it was.

She then quietly observed as Sam turned in her heel ran to her protector. They embraced tightly, as if they had just won against an evil so dark it alone would swallow the world whole. Though she knew little of the ghost that now resided in the soup container, she knew that was a gross overstatement to label him with. No matter how evil this 'Skulker' ghost appeared. She silently watched as Danny placed a soft kiss on Sam's lips and held her tightly. A smile similar to a child in a candy store rested upon their lips.

"So, who was that?" He asked once they had pulled apart and motioned to the girl still hiding behind the tree.

"I'm not sure, I didn't catch her name." Sam admitted. Having been preoccupied with Skulker, she never had the chance to introduce herself. They both walked over to the tree to find Lilith on the ground, knees against her chest and confusion written all over her face as her gaze never hindered from them.

"Hi!" Danny said watching as the new girl stood to her shaky legs.

"Hi." She said softly, brushing the dirt and grass from her clothes.

"I'm Danny." He said offering her his hand to shake. Lilith took it in hers and felt a slight jolt of electricity. She squeaked softly before pulling away. "This is Sam." He said again motioning to the girl's mother. She knew who she was; hell she even knew who Danny Phantom was. Danny continued to look at her confused, as if wanting something from her. She returned the gaze, unsure what to offer him.

His blue eyes were now bright neon green, his raven hair a pale white. She smiled, all 'Halfas', as Tucker had called them, must look this way. Her own eyes where the same color when she was in ghost form, she had noticed that as a baby they were an emerald and only lightened with time. Her long hair turned white as a corpse and her clothes were a matching black and white, but were the furthest thing from the hazmat suit the phantom boy before her now sported. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said quickly unable to rip her gaze from the pair. "I'm Lilith." She said for the first time realizing what was going on.

"So, Lilith, what were you doing out here so late?" Sam asked as she went to grab her bag and things from the floor. Lilith noticed that when she spoke her name, it wasn't filled with emotion; with the loved of a mother. Instead her tone was cold and neutral, as if the name meant nothing to her. She then had to remind herself, it didn't, not yet anyways.

"I was just admiring nature. Must've lost track of time." She said looking to the place she had been sitting not too long ago.

"Would you like us to walk you home?" Danny offered. "Having an encounter with Skulker can kind of put some people on edge."

"NO!" She screamed out, more harshly then intended. She still didn't know where she was going to be staying, or how long she'd be here. "I mean…its ok."

"Are you sure? Your parents might be worried. I mean you're new here right?" Sam questioned. Lilith nodded her head slowly. "Having an encounter on your first day? That's kinda hectic."

"I'll be fine." She said avoiding eye contact, knowing she'd give herself away. Her mother always knew when she was lying.

"Do you even have a place to stay?" Danny then asked, pulling Lilith's gaze to his own. As Sam's eyes went wide, she knew her mother's talent hadn't failed her, even in the past.

"Where does your family live?" Sam asked slightly thrown back. Lilith remained silent. What would she tell them? _I'm from the future, here to right a wrong?_ NO! _I ran away from home and never want to go back? _NO! _I moved here with my family, but we don't live anywhere? _Again, NO! "Lilith?"

"I just moved here with my family. My parents thought the move would be good, but they fight too much. Home is not really a place I ever want to return to." A single tear fell down her face. The truth behind it was almost too much to bear. She longed to tell her mother everything. That in a few short years her life would be so different than it is now. That instead of fighting ghosts with her high school love she'd be constantly fighting with a man she married and reproduced with. She quickly wiped the tear away and stood up straight. She had to be strong, no matter how lost or confused she was, being reduced to a child was not going to help. She was sixteen for heaven's sake, and never showed this amount of weakness before. She needed to start acting like it.

"You can stay at my place for tonight." Sam whispered almost unsure of the offer. Lilith knew it was unlike her when Danny looked to her oddly.

"Are you sure?" He asked her softly almost forgetting Lilith was standing right before them.

"Yeah, no teenager should feel like a stranger in their own home." She spoke from experience with her own family. "You're more than welcome to stay at my place until you feel good enough to go home. Just so long as your parents know where you are. Last thing I need is my folks cutting into me about hiding someone."

"That should be no problem. Thank you." Lilith said happily. Finally she was going to get to know her mother on a basis she never knew before. She could ask her mother questions galore and never have to worry about her saying 'it's not something a mother and daughter share' or 'now is not a good time' or even the ever popular response 'we'll talk about it when you're older'. Maybe she could even find out why she was here and what had to be fixed.

The walk to Sam's house was quiet, minus the few questions both Danny and Sam asked that Lilith successfully managed to avoid. She had learned that they met back in second grade or so and had remained friends ever since. Almost three years ago, when the world was facing an impending doom, they came to their senses and realized their feelings for the other was much stronger than they tried to play out. Therefore they had started dating and were just several months from their third year anniversary. Danny's parents adored Sam and her parents had warmed up to him.

When they approached the large mansion, Lilith realized she knew next to nothing about her grandparents. Her father's parents had died before he was even fifteen and she had assumed the same fate of her mother's parents because she never spoke of them. But now she had the feeling that not only would she get to meet her grandparents, but learn what became of them as well. Her heart was racing a mile a minute with every second. She wasn't only correcting the past, but learning things she never would have.

"We'll I guess this is where we part." Danny said hugging Sam tightly and kissing her excessively. Lilith shrunk into the background and allowed the two their moment. She figured if her mother was happy with the boy, whether or not he was her future husband, she'd give them their time alone. "It was nice meeting you Lilith." Danny said once they had pulled apart. He offered her his hand and when she shook it, she noticed the electricity there once again, and from the look he gave her, he noticed it too.

"Thank you, for everything." She said softly to them both.

"Night Danny." Sam said, a look of love on her face.

"Good night." He said, watching as both girls entered the large house.

"So, my parents should be around here somewhere. I'll let them know you're staying the night and you can call your parents from the living room phone." She said leading Lilith into the room and showing her what she needed. "I'll be right back." And with that she was gone.

Lilith picked up the phone and held the receiver to her ear. The dial tone sounded extremely loud in her ear, as if it was her heart flat lining. She pretended to push in numbers, and waited a few seconds for what would normally be a few rings. She then acted as if someone was on the other line, a little too well for her liking, and told them of her plans. She even threw in a semi believable argument just in case someone was listening. Once she had won over the 'person' on the phone she hung up to find her mother standing in the doorway. She silently patted her back for deciding to fake her conversation after all.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to eavesdrop." Sam said slightly ashamed.

"It's alright, I don't mind." Lilith whispered as she walked towards her.

"Was that your mom?" Lilith thought this over for a moment, she didn't want to say yes, because in the future her mother never pushed her. She never overly questioned her and offered her a vast amount of freedom. The last time her mother and herself had gotten into a dispute was whether or not the hamster had been feed when she was eight. He hadn't been and died. She only ever argued like that with her father, he was always yelling and fighting, frankly she couldn't recall a time when they weren't bashing heads. "I'm sorry that's personal." Lilith looked up to her, even in the past she respected her child.

"No, it's alright. That was my dad, he can be kind of a jerk." It was quiet for a moment between the two teens until an older man and woman entered the room.

One would never in a million years guess they were Sam's parents. The young red headed woman was dressed in a shin length pink dress while her father was tall and blonde, dressed in khakis and a sweater vest. Lilith looked to Sam with a raised eyebrow, she simply shrugged it off.

"Mom, Dad this is Lilith." Sam said turning to her parents. Lilith turned and took them in. Here they were, her grandparents. As 'un-goth' as anyone could get. How is it her mother was a Goth while her parents looked as if they had escaped from 'The Brady Bunch'? They seemed somewhat disappointed in the 'friend' their daughter had brought home.

"It's an honor to meet you." Lilith said offering her hand to shake. Her mother may have rebelled against authority, but damned if she didn't teach her daughter manners. This action seemed to lighten them up a bit.

"So you're Sammy's friend?" Her father asked giving her a small shake.

"Yes Sir." Lilith nodded while smiling.

"Don't worry dear, Samantha told us everything and you're more than welcome to stay the night." Mrs. Manson spoke whispering to Lilith, a whisper that even a deaf man could hear.

"Thank you very much." Lilith said giggling as Sam smacked her forehead at her mother's insensitiveness.

"Well we better get to bed, school tomorrow." Sam said grabbing onto Lilith's wrist and pulling her up the many stairs to a room at the far end of the hall.

"I'm real sorry about my parents." Sam said later on that night as she went through her closet looking for a set of comfortable clothes Lilith could use as pajama's.

"It's alright. They seem like very nice people."

"They can be, I mean their hearts are in the right place. They just don't understand teenagers." She entered the bathroom to change, but left the door open so they could speak freely.

"Does anybody's parents? I mean my mom…" She froze mid-sentence, not sure how much was too much. There was silence until Sam exited the bathroom and broke it.

"What about your mom?" Sam questioned throwing herself on the bed.

"She was a teenager when she had me." She whispered making her way into the bathroom to change as well. She thanked God her mother and her had the same taste, because she couldn't bear the thought of sleeping in something pink and covered in unicorns. "She had to face a lot."

"What did her parents think of that?" Lilith poked her head out and locked eyes with Sam. She had been wondering the same thing her whole life.

"I don't know. I never knew my grandparents and she never talked about them." She exited the bathroom once changing and smiled while looking herself over in the vanity mirror that rested in the corner of the room. If her hair was shorter and her eyes were like her mothers, she could pass as her twin. She just hoped no one noticed.

"They fit you perfectly." Sam said rolling on her back and looking up to the ceiling. Lilith made her way over to sit on the bed next to her mother. She would be sleeping in one of the guest rooms across the hall, but for the time being she was getting to know a woman who otherwise would have remained a stranger.

After talking with her mother for another hour and learning things such as what she had aspired to be and how she had recently lost her grandmother the previous year, they had called it a night. Now Lilith lay in the guest bed thinking of what her mother had said. She had told this complete stranger her future, what she wanted out of it and how she wanted it to go. It only hurt to know none of it was going to happen.

She had wanted to become an artist, and travel the world. Possibly even marry Danny if they were still together. She planned on getting married in her late twenties, only because her parents wouldn't approve of a child out of wedlock. Not that she cared what they thought, but she didn't want to be disowned. She felt it would be unfair for the child to never know her grandparents. She had loved her grandmother and every moment they spent together, she only wished the same for her future children. It was gut wrenching to know it too would never happen.

Out of everything that was discussed that one thought alone could never leave her mind. She quickly sat up in the bed and looked to the quiet door.

"They disowned her." Lilith whispered to the dead of night. She found a few tears falling down her face. Sam had wanted to make her parents happy, that she even considered marriage an option for the future. It explained so much. Her parents were only celebrating their twelfth wedding anniversary and she was sixteen. "Oh mom, if only you knew." She whispered laying her head back down onto the pillow trying to force sleep to come.

**Please Review.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next month passed by relatively quick for Lilith, though she had to admit she never planned on being here this long. She used her extra time getting to know her mother and her friends on a better basis and was currently 'hanging out' with them every day after school. They willingly welcomed her into their group due to the fact she was a constant target for Dash and the other popular kids. She had to admit though, she did like it. Back home she was a loner, the closest thing she had to a friend was her neighbor, Sarah Criswell, and she was about as trustworthy as a conman.

Though they had a few encounters with ghosts over the past weeks, Lilith knew that there was far more to her own ghost powers she knew little about. She watched in complete awe as Danny vanquished his enemies with little effort fight after fight and hoped one day she herself could harness the energy to accomplish the same feat.

Every night, when she was in her hotel room, she would try to bring her powers forth. She practiced whenever she was alone and had come to find she had improved a great deal. Although she was nothing compared to Danny. She did know she was far better than when she first arrived. She had even gotten gutsy about it and started to use a bit of her powers in school, of course she was extra careful.

She now stood in her hotel room, looking herself over in the mirror she looked so much like her mother she was surprised no one had mentioned it before. She just hoped that with every passing day they would push the thought further and further from their minds. The last thing she needed was them finding out who she was and ruining her chance at fixing her life.

She closed her baby blue eyes and concentrated, waiting for something to happen. The images of the mother she left behind mixed with those of the mother she knew now. So different they were in comparison, anger welled in her. She was sent here to do one thing and after a month she was still clueless as could be. Maybe she didn't deserve her powers, she deserved to be labeled a loser. And her mother; Samantha Manson deserved a life free of her daughter and her freak ways.

Lost in her thoughts, Lilith failed to notice the ectoplasm ball in her hand. As the burning sensation caused her to open her eyes, she found the green mass resting quietly in her right hand. She studied it carefully, never feeling safe enough to try this at home. Here she didn't have to worry about her parents sneaking up on her, hell it was a miracle she knew as much as she did with those two constantly barging in. Lilith flung the ball straight at the wall and watched the small hole it left behind. She stepped back unable to believe she could do such a thing.

Then again, maybe Sam deserved a better future, a future with a slightly freaky daughter; after all why should the future be completely different from the past?

She closed her eyes tightly and allowed her ghost form to take over. Her long white hair flowed freely behind her as she went intangible and flew through the ceiling. She had never felt so free, back home this would never have been an option. She always had to be careful about her temper, if not she'd phase right through a wall and have to recover herself before either of her parents found out. Now she was free to experiment with her powers and allow her talent to progress.

With all the hiding, who knew how many talents she had repressed?

A thought was always nagging in the back of her head. Why wasn't Danny in her future? He could have helped her growing up. Helped her understand every confusing and haunting detail of her gift. Had her mother and him gotten into a fight? Ending their friendship on permanent grounds? Was it over her father? Did he do something to upset Sam somehow that she vowed to never speak to him again? All of these questions only kept bringing her back to one very important, unanswered reality. What was the connection between the two?

Lilith had been flying freely, lost in her thoughts and not a care in the world when the all too familiar chill crawled through her body. She exhaled and wasn't too surprised when she saw her breath. In the weeks passed she noticed Danny too suffered from the same chill and they both only got it when another ghost was present. She stopped and hovered above the park, looking frantically for her soon-to-be attacker.

"BEWARE! I AM THE BOX GHOST!" A voice screamed from behind her. As she came face to face with the intruder she forced herself to stand her ground and not run in fear, which sadly was her natural response. "BEWARE!" He screamed again when she failed to move.

Her eyes locked on his and before she could even think a ray of light burst from her eyes and hit her enemy in the stomach forcing him to the ground.

"What the heck was that?" She questioned softly, she had never exhibited that power before. She flew towards the box ghost who was still on the ground trying to recover from the unexpected blast.

"BEWARE!" He mumbled again, his voice scratchy from the wind being knocked out of him. Before Lilith even had time to think of another attack she felt something slice her side and fell to the ground clutching the wounded area. When she removed her hand she found it covered in green ectoplasm. Her gaze flew to her attacker and found none other than Danny Phantom flying towards her.

"NO! DON'T!" She screamed putting her hands up over to head to shield herself, however, her hands shot out rays and struck Danny, sending him heavily to the floor.

"DANNY!?" Sam called as she and Tucker ran towards him.

"I'm sorry." She called taking off, she didn't want to be around when he came to. She rushed as fast as she could back to her hotel room. Longing to flee the mess and tend to her wound.

"Who was that?" Sam asked looking to the place the girl had just been.

"I don't know, but I plan on finding out." Danny said rubbing his head as he got to his feet.

"BEWARE!" The box ghost called out once more before Danny opened the Fenton Thermos and sucked him in.

It was later that night when all seemed calm that Sam heard her doorbell ring. She got up from her spot on the couch and walked over to the door, hoping it was the pizza she ordered. As she opened it she found Lilith standing on her porch, hand over her side and pain in her eyes.

"Lilith? Are you-"

"Please you gotta help me. The blood won't stop." She said removing her hand to show a large gash on her hip and the bloody mess. Though only a little blood seeped out, the wound looked far worse with the rest that had dried and caked over her skin.

"JESUS!" She said loudly pulling the girl into the house and into the living room. "What happened?" She asked once Lilith had been cleaned and was in the process of being bandaged up.

"I got into a fight with my bed." She said lamely, hoping the excuse was good enough.

"Did your dad do this?"

"NO!" She yelled out, then relaxed. "My dad yells, breaks objects, but he's never laid a hand on me or my mom. I tripped on one of my shoes and cut myself on the edge of the bed." Her story sounded a little more believable this time.

"Why didn't your parents take you to the hospital?"

"They weren't home. They're at some stupid marriage counseling thing. I hate hospitals." She added the last statement as a simple excuse for not seeking professional help. It had taken her long enough to convince Sam it was a slightly complex flesh wound and didn't need serious medical attention.

"There. You should be ok for now. Doesn't look like it was too deep to do much damage." Sam said admiring her work.

"Thanks, you're amazing." Lilith said wrapping her arms around the young Goth and holding on tightly.

"Human contact." Sam managed to get out from under Lilith's hair.

"Sorry." She whispered shyly. "I don't normally hug people. Last person I hugged was my mom…I was five." Sam looked to the girl slightly confused. There was a lot more than meets the eyes with her. She was a lot colder than normal Goth's and her parents seemed too busy with one another to offer the attention their child needed.

"It's ok, just baby steps." Sam said patting the girl's back in an uncomfortable manner. Still it meant the world to Lilith. Actual contact with her mother was hard; she figured it was because the Sam in the future was so dead inside that if Lilith didn't exist, than neither would she.

After little coercing, Lilith agreed to stay the night with her mother once again. Sam explained her parents were out of town for the night and she could use the company to help her dust the pizza she was expecting. All Lilith cared about was the fact that she didn't have to put up with another lonely night in a creepy hotel room. That night, after eating the veggie pizza with Sam and watching half a horror movie, Lilith found sleep sneaking up on her. She took a glance over to her mother, who was already sleeping soundly in an overstuffed chair and decided it was time for bed. Sleep came relatively easy as she rested on the couch.

As the grandfather clock in the hallway gave off the twelfth consecutive chime Lilith shivered and found herself being woken up by footsteps not too far away. Fear set in as she remembered that besides Sam, she was the only one in the large house. She held herself close and looked across the room to find her companion still passed out and dead to the world. Again she heard the noise and found herself getting up from her spot to investigate it. Once she exited the living room and was sure she was safe, she allowed her transformation to take place, believing it was the box ghost coming back for her.

As she entered the kitchen she felt her heart drop.

"Hello…Ghost child." His voice caused her breathing to stop. When she turned to see the intruder she came face to face with Skulker. "I am here for you." He said raising his weapon and preparing to fire.

Without a second thought Lilith took off towards the ceiling, phasing through it and disappearing into the night. Skulker fired off a round into the Manson kitchen, destroying the breakfast table, before taking off after the young girl. The loud blast woke the young Goth up and as Sam made her way towards the sound, she found half her kitchen in ruins.

"DANNY!" Sam yelled loudly, exiting the front door and running out into the streets of the cold night. Her lungs were burning when she reached the Fenton's door and she was near tears when she started pounding on the door and screamed for someone to open up.

"Sam? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Maddie asked pulling her robe tightly around her to ward off the brisk night air. "Is everything alright?" She questioned looking to the distraught girl.

"Is Danny here?" She asked frantically, as soon as the words left her mouth, she set eyes on the object in question.

"Sam? What's wrong?" He asked running towards her.

"Some ghost was in my house, I thought you-" She stumbled over her words, unable to get them out. "I had to make sure you were ok." Maddie backed away so that her son could offer the girl a form of support.

"What ghost was it?" He asked when she pulled away.

"I don't know, I heard a blast and-" Her eyes went wide as realization hit her. "Lilith."

"What about her?"

"I left her alone, I forgot all about her. She was spending the night, and oh crap."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine." Danny said going ghost and carrying Sam back home to check on their new friend.

"Be careful Danny." Maddie called after them before closing the door and getting ready to spend the whole night awake worrying.

"LILITH!" Sam called into the quiet house. She could feel her heart pounding believing something had happened to the teen. "She's not here Danny." Sam called out. Before either could respond a loud blast could be heard from the streets.

They both ran outside to see Skulker going toe to toe with another ghost. Though his opponent was female, Danny could tell she knew little about fighting. Both watched as the girl was injured repeatedly and failed to hit her desired target.

"Isn't that the girl from the park?" Sam questioned watching the battle above go on.

"Yeah and it doesn't look like she knows what she's doing. He'll kill her before she even knows it." Danny said taking off towards the pathetic excuse for a ghost. She made the box ghost look dangerous.

"Friend!" She spat out as Danny approached her. "I'm a friend. I mean you no harm."

"Duh, you couldn't do harm if you intended to." Danny said blasting Skulker and sending him back. As Danny turned to look the young ghost over he noticed her side was heavily bandaged. He expected nothing less, he himself had injured her only hours before. What had him looking at her with questioning eyes was the fact the white linen bandages were caked with a brown substance, similar to dry _human_ blood.

"Why is he after you?" Danny questioned moving both of them from the line of fire.

"I don't know, I didn't do anything." She yelled back holding up her hands in front of them, forming a shield from the next blast. "Cool."

Danny looked to her oddly, she seemed so clueless, but before he could ask anything, a hit came from the opposite direction, knocking both ghosts down.

Sam watched helplessly as Danny and the girl fell from the sky. Without thinking twice she pulled the Fenton Thermos from her backpack and sucked Skulker in, trapping him and danger away for the night. She then quickly turned on her heel and took off towards the direction Danny had fallen. When she reached the area she found Danny still in ghost form looking the other girl over. She seemed to be knocked out cold.

"Is she alright?" Sam asked softly.

"She seems fine, just out of it." He said allowing his body to return to his human form. Sam had to suppress a smile, in his attempt to check on her earlier, he had managed to leave his pants behind and was now only in his boxers and an undershirt.

Before she could even offer a smirk a burst of light came from the girls exposed pale stomach. They watched slowly as the black pleather skirt and white tights turned into grey sweat pants and her white spaghetti strapped shirt and black pleather jacket turned into a lavender oversized T. Her long snow white flowing hair became the color of midnight and her pale skin grew a tanner pigment. Her once black heeled boots where now nothing but bare feet.

"Oh God." Sam burst out.

"What the heck?" Danny asked as they both stared down to the familiar face.

"LILITH?!" They both exclaimed.

**Ok, so that was chapter four, now things are going to get interesting. please review and I hope to have an update soon. I'm currently struggling with future chapters and the like so once I get the knots cleared out all will be smooth sailing. I appologize if this chapter seemed a little rushed. I tried my best, but it didn't seem too 'right' with me. could just be me.**

**Anyways please review. I take comments/concerns/constructive criticism/ and flames (WARNING all flames keep me warm while I write future chapters.) so please review and let me know how it was PLEASE AND THANK YOU! **


	5. Chapter 5

**sorry I took me so long to update, work messed up my schedule and I had to work last Sunday. So I finally got this chapter up, it's not really one of my bests and I failed to deliver what I wanted, but I had to get this stuff into the story some how.**

**Now, things are gonna start to flow.**

Lilith opened her eyes and took a slow glance around the room. She was on a soft bed, but it was not her own. The room before her didn't look familiar and sent a wave of fear through her. _Where am I?_ She tried to move, but found it nearly impossible, her body felt heavy and ached as she lay there confused. A dull throbbing came from her side and she found her oppressed hand lay agonizingly over it. Her entire stomach was cleaned and re-bandaged, while a gash on her head had been tended to as well. Before she could take it all in the blue door across from where she lay, opened.

"Oh, glad to see you're finally awake." The woman said. She had short red hair and a jumpsuit on, anxiety rose in the back of Lilith's mind. Somebody had found out her secret and called in the government. "How are you feeling?" She asked motherly, nothing but kindness in her soft, delicate tone.

Lilith remained quiet, afraid to speak. She knew nothing of this woman or her intentions. Her heart raced as the stranger's hands graced over her skin, checking her healing wounds with a nurturing hand. She rattled off a few more questions as she took her temperature and checked her vitals, but amongst it all, Lilith maintained her silence.

"Hey, mom, are you in here?" Another female voice called from outside the room.

"In here, Jazz." She spoke warmly while fluffing one of the pillows and looking to the quiet girl suspiciously.

"Oh good she's up." The soft voice of an older teen said. She had long matching red hair like her mother and soft eyes Lilith felt, strangely, comfortable with. "I'll go let Danny know." She said happily looking the girl up and down before disappearing out the door.

"So, I know your name is Lilith. I'm Maddie Fenton, Danny's mom." Lilith held her tongue and offered a soft smile to her friend's parent. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Does it ache?" She shook her head 'no' and relaxed knowing Danny was on his way up.

"That was my daughter Jazz just now, do you have any siblings?" She pressed for any form of a spoken answer, curious if something had happened to the teen's vocal cords.

"No ma'am." Lilith managed to get out, the dryness of her throat took her by surprise.

"You must be thirsty." She said, her smile never wavering as she handed her a glass filled with water. Lilith took it from her grasp hungrily and quickly chugged it, not understanding how thirsty she really was until the cool liquid coated her throat.

"Thank you." She managed to get out, her voice gently returning to its normal tone.

"You're welcome dear." Maddie said smiling to the girl, suddenly the look in her eyes changed and she opened her mouth. Ever so softly the question came out, as if she wasn't sure it was a valid one to even ask. Nevertheless it fell on her like a ton of bricks. "Are you, by any chance, related to Sam?" Lilith's eyes widened in shock and she quickly shook her head. "Oh, alright then." She seemed satisfied with the answer, chiding herself for even thinking such a thing before exiting the room and retreating down the stairs.

Lilith let out a shaky breath. THAT one was close. She sat there, her heart pounding with every passing second. _They knew_. They knew she was Sam's daughter and they were going to drill her for questions, possibly even study the time traveler._ Where did that idea come from? _Nobody had ever made connection before now, and here this woman gets no more than a few words from her and it's as if she knows everything. She had to leave, that much was for sure. Anymore time spent near that woman could not be good. The last thing she needed was to be questioned; she wasn't sure how much longer she could dissemble before she'd crack under the pressure.

She quickly threw the covers off of her form and struggled to stand. The wound on her side had been reopened and injured worse than before. She found her knees wouldn't hold her and had to use the bed for support. She was too weak to take on her ghostly persona, and knew walking was her only option, no matter how painful the movement was.

"Hey Lilith, how you feeling?" Sam asked as she opened the door. She fell to the floor, the pain too much to bear. Before her knees could make impact with the carpeted floor beneath her toes Sam was at her side, helping her up.

"You need to stay in bed." Danny said rushing over to help both girls, Tucker hot on his heels. "Skulker really got the best of you." She found tears forming in her eyes as they placed her back on the bed while Tucker closed the door behind them. She knew at that moment it was suddenly all for nothing, Clockwork would banish her back home and she would either have to listen to the fighting for years to come or meet her demise when the bus finally reached the end of the line. "Who are you?" Danny spoke, pulling her back to reality.

"Lilith." She said as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. Her tears long gone and rage set in. She wasn't used to failure, she never cried and here she found herself weaker than ever before. It sickened her to no end.

"No, I mean…" He struggled with a word to label her with.

"He means, how long have you been a half ghost?" Tucker spat out, rather coldly for the couples liking. Lilith noticed the awkward looks they shot their friend, expressions of confusion written on their faces. The Techno geek merely shrugged it off before taking a seat on a chair on the opposite side of the room.

"Since birth, I think. Definitely for as long as I can remember." She said, unable to hold eye contact. "Please don't tell anyone. I beg you. If anyone else knew I'd be killed."

"Well hiding it isn't necessarily keeping you alive." Sam said mentioning her wounds.

"How is it you've been a ghost since birth?" Danny asked looking at her with a cold stare, his now green eyes staring into her blues. His eyes scared her as they bore into her soul, though he was still in his human form, they seemed to slice through her.

"I don't know, I was just born this way." She said quickly, suddenly finding a reason to become defensive. "I never asked my mom about it. She…She doesn't know." Lilith turned her gaze to Sam at this point and looked to her like a lost puppy. Well in some form or another, her mother had just found out.

"Why don't you know how to fight? You need to protect yourself. How have you survived this long?" Danny looked at her as if a father would his child. She felt a mixture of discomfort and pride take over her. Her own father never questioned her like this. It was nice to have somebody who actually cared for her become worried. It was also strange to have anyone else but her father be the male caregiver.

"Ghost's aren't a problem where I live, I hide this in peace. Nobody knows and nobody needs to know." She said crossing her arms in a childlike manner, but quickly regretted it when she rubbed her side the wrong way, causing a blinding pain to spike through her right side.

"Well you're living here now. As soon as you get better, I'd like to train you." Danny said looking at the dry blood that covered her cheek.

"Really?" She asked almost unsure of the offer.

"Yeah, I don't wanna have to be saving your ass every day." The four of them smiled at this. "Besides, it could be nice having someone to help me out here and there." He said getting up from his spot on the edge of the bed and turning towards the door.

"Try and get some rest." Sam said as the trio exited. "Danny do you think this is such a good idea? I mean we know almost nothing about her." Sam said turning to her boyfriend once they were in the hall.

"Yeah Sam I think this is the best thing that could happen to us. I train her and she could take some of the pressure off me. I'd have more time to be with you _and_ Tuck." He said pulling her close, placing a soft peck on her lips. "Besides, we know her secret, I doubt she'll betray us."

"Not only that, this girl doesn't even seem like she could harm a fly, much less Danny." Tucker chimed in from the edge of the staircase.

"Yeah…well…still be on your guard." She said turning and leading them down the stairs to the living room where everyone was wondering who and what their strange visitor was. Sam couldn't place it, but there was definitely something Lilith was hiding. She only hoped to figure it out before the young ghost went through with her plans.

The next two months flew by without even notice. As promised, once Lilith was able to walk and fly on her own Danny took right to training her. It was fun and very different. Along with Sam, Tucker and Jazz helping she came to find many new things about herself and what she was capable of. Of course she still had her difficulties here and there, such as her ice power. The first time she used it she accidently froze Danny's dad to the wall and had to let Danny take the blame. Everyone had laughed their heads off, she dwelled on the fact that back home, she never laughed. Never even smiled.

The last time she came anywhere near a smile was when she was nine. Her mother had just got home from a long business trip and offered to take her to a 'mommy and me' outing. That involved ice cream, a movie and a trip to the zoo. After that day everything seemed to go downhill, her parents took up arguing as a past time and raising her went on the back burner. It was then she realized she would forever be alone.

Lilith now sat in her mother's room looking at different clothes Sam tried on. Tonight was her and Danny's third year anniversary and was taking the two of them out to a Dumpty Humpty concert. After which they were going out to dinner, followed by spending the rest of the night enjoying each other's company. She smiled happily looking the woman she now considered a friend up and down.

"How 'bout this one?" She stood before her in a short black pleather skirt and a black shirt that led too little to the imagination by curving low in the front and exposing her stomach with a 'ripped' look. Her combat boots had been traded in for a pair of black heeled ones that came up to her knee, exposing the rest of her leg until it was cut off with the skirt.

"Love it, just one thing." Lilith said tearing the shirt so her arms were now bare. She forgot completely that the woman before her would soon become her mother and got lost in the fantasy that she now had a friend.

"Thanks, you're amazing." Sam said pulling her close for a hug. Lilith was pulled back by the sudden outburst and refused to allow her body to relax into it. This was her mother, a woman who hadn't hugged her in years, and now she rested in her embrace. It was all too surreal. She longed to spill it all, to tell her everything she knew and hoped to change. "Sorry." She whispered pulling away, then heading out the door.

"Hey mo…Sam!" She caught herself almost a little too late.

"Yeah?" She asked looking back to the other goth. Her eye's sparkling in the light and a certain glow covering her body. She was happy. Honest to God, truly happy. Who was she to end her joy? Who was she to come barging in with the truth of a sad and miserable future?

"Never mind. Just forget it." She said quickly, afraid she'd chicken out and blurt the truth.

"You sure?" Her eyes looked clouded with sadness, and for a brief second Lilith saw the unhappy eyes of the woman she would become.

"Positive. Have fun." She got out pulling her close for a hug both girl's accepted.

"Thanks." And with that Lilith watched helplessly as Sam disappeared out the door.

Lilith turned around and looked herself over in the mirror that rested in the far corner of her mother's room. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were no longer bright blue, but looked as if they were clouded over by a grey despair, her skin was much paler than she remembered and her hair seemed as if it had lightened in the few short months. She no longer recognized the person staring back at her, and doubted anyone else could. She let out a heavy sigh before making her way back to her hotel room.

She was at a loss. She was no closer to finding out any truth behind her mother's past, nor what she was sent to prevent. Her money was running low, frankly she was surprised it lasted this long, and she had yet to see a younger version of her father enter into her mother's life. It seemed that with each passing day her mission here seemed less and less real. Maybe she was sent here just to get away from it all.

She pulled the necklace out from under her black shirt and stared at it. The large 'CW' seemed to shine with gold. Her eyes welled up before she forced back her tears. What was with her lately? She never cried back home, she was strong, independent and fierce.

Now that she saw her mother's happy past all she could do is cry. Cry for the girl that died too young and the dead woman she would become. Her mother was literally alive in the future, but sometimes she knew her mother would be better off dead. She had no reason to live, maybe at one point she did, but she was no longer the woman Lilith remembered back when she was six or even seven years old and knew she never would be again.

Enervated, Lilith through her body back on her hotel bed and let sleep take her. She was tired, that was all from months of training. She just needed some sleep and would look and feel better come morning. She just hoped her mother and Danny were enjoying their third year anniversary.

It wasn't long until she found her eyes popping open, her heart was racing and she found her body covered in sweat. She glanced over to the clock on the nightstand and saw it was only three o' four in the morning. She jumped up from her bed and made her way over to the bathroom, looking over her reflection once again.

She noticed something had changed in the past few hours since she last looked herself over. Her eyes had their color back, a vibrant baby blue and her hair looked black and full once again while it seemed the color had also returned back to her skin. She touched her face softly, wiping the sweat from her brow and wondering how she had managed to look so much like herself with little under three hours of sleep.

She felt different, her stomach tingled and her heart was beating loudly in her ears. The pounding of her four chambers seemed to be deafening and drowned her. She quickly looked back at her reflection before turning the shower on and hopping in. The cold water poured down her body, sending her into shivers as she clutched onto herself tightly. Her mind seemed to reel with a million thoughts and as she made her way out of the shower and back to bed. She wondered what could have caused her to feel so alive and so sick at the same time.

**Anyone have any idea what's wrong with Lilith? There's a MAJOR hint/suggestion here.**

******PLEASE REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

Monday morning came, and with it so did a new school day. Lilith found herself smiling, for the first time in a while, with no apparent reason. Her lips were crooked up ever so slightly, so much so no one would never know she was smiling at all unless they knew her. She felt amazing; the weekend had been good to her. Her own strength had grown and she would swear she was a whole new person.

As she stood at her open locker looking for her needed books and papers, she felt a strange feeling rise in her stomach. It was as if she had swallowed a fire ball and it was threatening to come back up. The sensation become too much and she stood there silently confused as her ghost sense went off. The only difference between this sense and her others was the temperature. This was not her usual cold sensation, but instead this sense burned both her nostrils and throat as the red hot air escaped her body.

She slammed her locker shut and took in her surroundings, searching for any signs of a ghost, but finding none. She began to wonder what was going on, when Sam approached her with a brilliant smile on her face. Something that was very odd in the young goth. Lilith watched as a few jocks made their way from the hallway and out onto the football field for after school practice. Danny, their new quarterback, waved and smiled to the pair before following his teammates out.

"Hey Lilith." Sam said looking her friend over. "Can I…talk to you for a few?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" She asked softly looking to the teen confused. Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her into a nearby empty classroom.

"I've never really had any friends other than Danny and Tucker my whole life." She started out bluntly as Lilith took a seat into one of the desks. Confusion riddled her features, wondering where she's was going with this. "And even though we've only been friends for such a short time, I feel like I can tell you anything. I feel as if I can trust you like I would a sister…you know?" Lilith nodded her head gently, flattered her mother would consider her so trustworthy.

"I feel the same way." She offered, trying to maintain the lines of communication open.

"I feel like I can tell you this, and not be judged." She said pulling Danny's letterman jacket closed. The white thread read 'Fenton' in cursive over the left breast. "Danny and I took the next step in our relationship Saturday night."

Lilith looked to her oddly, her head cocked to the side in confusion. Saturday night was the night they celebrated their third anniversary. That was the night she had gotten sick. What did she mean they had taken the 'next step in their relationship'? As realization hit her, her eyes grew wide.

"You mean you two…?" She trailed off, finding it difficult to finish the sentence. _They didn't? Ugh! SO GROSS! I do __**NOT**__ need to hear this. My God, Mother, have some shame! __**THIS**__ is not something you should be sharing with your daughter. I can't believe you did the naked pretzel, the beast with two backs, the horizontal polka, bumped pelvises with someone other than dad. I don't need to hear about your sex life._

Sam had gone from slowly nodding her head, to looking the teen over. Waiting for her facial expressions to change and catch a glimpse of what she was thinking. Lilith was so lost in her thoughts of disgust and confusion she failed to notice her mother looking at her oddly.

"Lilith? Are you alight?" She asked waving her hand in front the teens face.

"Fine, I'm fine." She paused and searched carefully her next words. "What made you two finally take that step?" She wanted to sound reassuring, that no matter she wasn't going to think any different of her. But she also didn't want to hear anything else pertaining to the topic at hand. The very thought of her mother caught in the throes of passion disgusted her to no end.

"I'm not sure. One minute we're laughing our heads off and the next…we're in my room." Her gaze trailed off as she mentally recalled the night's events.

"No regrets?" Lilith broke through into Sam's head.

"Nope, not one. We talked about it and decided we're both grown up for it. We spent all day Sunday in bed." Lilith mentally made a disgusted face and attempted to shut her mother's words out of her head. _If there were no regrets, why would she leave something so good behind? What caused her to leave Danny and be with dad?_

"Well, that's good I guess. Sex can ruin a lot of relationships." She said getting up from her seat, unable to take any more in, and walked back into the hallway. Hoping the fact they were no longer alone would shut Sam up on the topic.

"So, have you ever…?" She trailed off, a large suggestive look covered her features.

"What? Had sex?" She whispered it leaning into Sam's side. The goth nodded her head vigorously, curious of her friends answer and slightly uncomfortable with the idle gossip she was now making. What a change having a girl for a friend was.

"Nope. Never." She said matter-of-factly. Hell if it wasn't for the 'Romeo and Juliet' rendition at her school, she would still be without her first kiss. She'd barely ever had a friend, let alone a boyfriend. Silently she was glad, this conversation could only get more awkward if the answer was yes. Sam nodded her head, not only uncomfortable with the new discussion, but sensed her friends own discomfort.

"So, are you free tonight?" She quickly changed the subject. "Danny, Tucker and I are having a cram-fest for the finals tomorrow at my place tonight. My parents are coming back from their trip in the Bahamas tomorrow afternoon, so this is the last night we have with the house to ourselves."

"Sounds good. I'm game." Lilith said smiling, trying desperately to forget the past conversation. The bell rang moments later signifying the end of the school day as the other kids around them grabbed their stuff and headed home. She quickly followed Sam out to the football field to see Danny and the rest of the Casper Raven's football team practicing and running drills. Tucker managed to catch up with them as they were heading out.

"So is Danny ready for the final cram session tonight?" Tucker asked as they took seats on the empty bleachers, pulling out his PDA while Lilith gazed over his shoulder quietly.

"Yup, we're both ready for it, too." Sam said watching as Danny threw the football towards the end zone, only for Dash on the defense to catch it. The whistle was blown as the coach called an 'interception'. Dash looked over to the offense and ordered them to back Danny up, striking fear into the other jocks.

"What's that?" Lilith asked softly, as a picture of a medallion, similar to the one she now wore, appeared on Tucker's PDA.

"That's a time medallion from Clockwork." He spoke calmly. The name sent a wave of fear throughout her body. She backed up from over Tucker's shoulder, satisfied with her snooping for the day. As she began to let her body relax in the comfortable silence she felt a shiver run through her and when she exhaled she found she could see her breath. The hot sensation was gone, and it appeared she was back to normal.

"Danny?" Sam asked softly looking down to the quarterback. Her body easing forward as she tensed and pulled away from the bleacher behind her that had been supporting her back.

"Lil?" Tucker asked looking to the girl at his side.

"Someone's here." She whispered looking to the darkening sky. A slight breeze passed by, making all those in its path shiver.

"ALL ABOARD!" A male childlike voice shattered the dead silence.

The football players down below had stopped playing and now stood staring up at the child dressed in an engineer's uniform. A small blue hat with thin white stripes rested on his head and matched his overalls. He smiled wickedly to his audience below. From behind him a swirling green vortex opened and out poured a skeleton train. It looked to be made of bones, and though it only pulled four cars behind the engine, it landed with a loud thud onto the football field. Nearly crushing the players down below.

"GOING GHOST!" Danny yelled into the chaos while the cheerleaders and football players ran around in circle's screaming, desperately trying to flee from the green smoke that piled out of the bone white top.

Lilith got to her feet and allowed her own ghost persona to take over, knowing full well everyone was too busy screaming to see her change. She quickly took off after Danny and met him only inches from the young boy.

"Huh?" He asked completely shocked, while his gaze traveled from one ghost to the other. "There's two of you?"

"Yeah, but it's not like you need us both to take you down. Youngblood, go home and play with your trains in your room." Danny said, Lilith looked the kid over and smiled.

"I don't wanna." He said in a teasing voice, crossing his arms over his chest for dramatic effect. He looked to Danny with a large smile plastered on his face. "I want someone to play with…And your town looks like just my kinda people." He said looking past Lilith and to Sam who stood next to Tucker watching the exchange take place.

Before anyone could blink, Youngblood was gone from his spot, and Tucker was left standing alone.

"Where did he go?" Lilith asked softly, confusion ruling her tone.

"Sam? SAM!" Tucker called, pulling the attention of both ghosts to him.

"Tucker? Where's Sam?" Danny asked swopping to look his friend in the eyes.

"I don't know, one minute she's here…and the next…"

"DANNY!" The shriek was filled with pure terror. Or so it sounded.

When the trio looked to where the sound emanated from they found Sam lying motionless on the football field. Ropes tied her arms to her body and kept her from moving. Only a few feet away the bone train was on a set of tracks that magically appeared before it. Danny's eyes went wide when he saw it was heading straight for his girlfriend.

"This is so cliché." She muttered to herself struggling to break the binds that held her.

Lilith watched horrified as two green lights lit the path in front of the train. The pattern of the front car made it look like it had a face, a smile plastered on. The closer Lilith looked, the more she realized it _did_ have one. A thin, bony skeleton of a face.

Danny swooped down and picked Sam up, carrying her into the sky. Lilith seized the opportunity and fired an ectoplasm ball at Youngblood, taking the laughing ghost by surprise.

"HEY! NO FAIR!" He said taking aim at Lilith and firing a ray of energy at her. She quickly tried to dodge it, but failed as it merely graced her right shoulder. She quickly recuperated and threw out her hands in front of her, sending a purple burst of energy from them. It flew forward at an alarming rate, freezing the young engineer in his place before knocking him down. _"HUH? Where am I? What's going on?" _A voice from within her pressed to know. It was male, it was as if the boy before her spoke from within her. _"AHHH!"_

"COOL! Do that again." Tucker called from down below, pulling Lilith from her mental ravine. Sam and Danny chose that moment to turn around and face the girl still fighting. Both their faces lit up in shock at the attack she had just countered with.

"I'm not sure how I did it." She yelled back at Tucker, her hands still in front of her, shaking violently.

_What the hell was that? _ She thought to herself. _I haven't done that since I was a kid._

While she pondered this, Youngblood came at her full force; shaking off the attack rather harshly before hitting her with all his force, rendering her unconscious and sending her to the hard ground beneath her. Danny turned from Sam and raced over to child ghost. He raised his hands and froze him in his place before reaching for the Fenton Thermos and locking him inside for the night.

Sam, Tucker and Danny raced over to the girl, who now reverted to being in her human form from her weakened state.

"_I'm sorry mommy. I didn't mean to. Honest." The five year old spoke. Her long raven hair was a mess atop her head. Tears poured down her eyes as she looked out the window._

"_Promise me, Lilith. Promise me, you'll never do that again." The twenty-three year old begged, pulling her car over to the side of the road and placing it in park as she turned in her seat to look her daughter over._

"_I promise mommy. I promise." The child repeated, allowing her mother to envelop her in her warm embrace._

"_Also, we can't tell daddy. OK?" She said looking her in the eyes, amethyst meeting a clouded over grey. She brushed away stray locks before cupping her check and cradling the young girl's face in her left hand. Her right one rested on the girl's arm, offering support and severity behind the statement._

"_Ok mommy." She whispered, looking down to the hands in her lap. She was different, that much she knew. It had been every time her peculiar 'gift', as her mother liked to call it, came out she was searching for a new excuse. Her mother had saved her countless of times, coming up with reasons for the unequal talent her daughter possessed._

_What would her father think if he knew she was capable of such things?_

"_Lilith, I need you to promise me…" She trailed off, wondering if asking a five year old such a thing was begging for too much. Would she put a strain on her development? Would she end up killing the only thing that kept herself alive? No. She would only keep __**her**__ alive, she was too unique for her own good. She couldn't handle it. She was ill prepared. She needed to contain it, or it would kill someone, or worse… her very self. "Promise me, you'll never do anything different like that, ever again."_

"_But mommy-" The child tried to dispute. Her gaze rising quickly to once again to meet her mother's._

"_PROMISE ME, LIL." She pleaded, tears burning behind her eyes. They cascaded down the child's face._

"_I promise, mommy. I promise." She whispered placing her hands into her lap once more. _

_She was different, unique and so special. She had to hide it, if not; it may very well be the end of her._

"_Good, now, I never want to hear of this again." She muttered putting the car into drive and pulling back onto the streets. Feeling heartbroken for not only asking her child to go through with such a ridiculous plea, but saddened over the fact things were so severe the request had to be made at all._

Lilith opened her eyes to see her three friends looking over her. The sky was clear once again, and all that was left of the Ghost Train was a large crater where it made its tracks. She lay in the middle of the football field, her head throbbing and her back aching, but otherwise unharmed. The ghost engineer was gone, more than likely finding himself inside of the Fenton Thermos at the moment.

"Wow!" Tucker said once her eyes were fully opened and had readjusted to the light. "Are you ok?"

"Fine." She whispered sitting up. The three backed up to give her room to breathe and look her over.

"What was that?" Tucker asked looking to her hands apprehensively.

"I'm not sure." She whispered looking over to Danny. "Last time I did that I was five, I accidently threw one of my classmates against the classroom door."

"And your parents never knew?" Sam asked.

"Never." She said shaking her head. She had a gut feeling her mother always knew more than she let on, but could never bring herself to mention it to her. As if acknowledging such a gift was forbidden, but where she got that idea was as big of a mystery as the gift itself.

"It looks like you had him hypnotized for a second." Tucker said matter-of-factly.

"It was as if I could hear his thoughts." She whispered recalling what had been going on through her mind before all she heard were the screams of the one, Danny so fittingly called, Youngblood.

"You could hear his thoughts?" Danny asked looking to her anxiously.

"Yeah, and then…nothing."

Danny took in their surroundings quickly. Once satisfied they were the only ones on the field left he looked back down to the girl. He threw his arms outward and stood before her in a challenging pose.

"Try it on me." He ordered, Sam and Tucker backed away before looking at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"No, way." Lilith muttered shaking her head quickly.

"Danny, what if she hurts you?" Tucker questioned.

"Or herself?" Sam chimed in, the curious part of her wanting to find out as well.

"She won't." He said quickly, shooting them both down. "Try it." He said once again.

"Alright." She whispered, taking on her ghost self once again before throwing her hands up towards Danny. She focused all her energy and strength on the one thing. The burst of purple flew from her hands and hit Danny at full force. She focused hard on her own thoughts until she was interrupted by Danny's voice inside her head.

"_STOP! STOP!"_ His voice echoed. Before she could lower her hands she watched as he helplessly flew across the field, his back smacking hard against the scoreboard on the other side. She quickly got to her feet and followed Sam and Tucker over to their fallen comrade.

"Are you ok?" Lilith asked while the other two helped him stand to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm good." He said rubbing his head from the impact.

"I'm sorry." She whispered quickly.

"Don't be." He said smirking. "It appears you have a unique ability."

"What was it like?" Tucker wondered.

"It was like being over shadowed, only different."

"Different how?" Sam asked looking to her boyfriend questioningly.

"I couldn't move, or even think. It was as if I was no longer in control. Like I was her puppet." Lilith met his gaze. "All I could feel was this pain in my stomach and all I could think was for her to stop." Her gaze fell back to her shoes as he continued to explain. His screams scared her, what if she severely injured him? Or worse…killed him? "Then my thoughts went black as this pain from my stomach ripped free. Next thing I know I'm under the scoreboard."

"How awesome." Tucker said looking Lilith over. She looked to the trio lost, she didn't know why such a power had gone years without being used, but felt as if using it, purposely or accidently, was a crime in its own right.

"How were you able to do that?" Tucker asked looking the embarrassed girl over. "I mean maybe Danny can…"

"I don't think so Tuck." Sam said interrupting him. "Lilith may possess other abilities than Danny. She was after all born half ghost. Who knows what she's capable of?" Sam said looking to Danny with a soft smile.

"She's right Tucker." Danny agreed. "Lilith is honestly, the first of her kind. She could be capable of so much more. Only time will tell."

"None of your parents hold the ghost gene?" Tucker looked to her oddly.

"No, my mom is just a normal mom. I mean she had her rebellious phase in her teens too, which is why she's so lenient with me…" She looked Sam over at this point. Her mother was so much more different in the future. She wore a wider range of colors, but still loathed the color pink. Her hair was always down, cascading past her shoulders, or tied tightly in a bun; her make-up was lighter, yet still dark in its own way. She had definitely matured from the teen she was today. "But my dad…Richard Hayes is just another business man. A complete workaholic, business suit, clean shaven face and perfect haircut. Not one of them exhibits any form of ghost powers."

"So, you just picked up some genes from a pool that didn't offer any of what you have?" Tucker asked as if not believing her statement.

"Looks like it." She said looking the trio over and wondering the very same thing herself.

**Ok so that was chapter 6. I decided to update a little early, because I'm a little stuck on chapter 7 and the reviews always get my thoughts flowing. Well that and because I feel so guilty for not updating last week. **

**So the little 'memory' Lilith had wasn't really a memory. I feel that by adding some things from her past it offers insight to her character. Whether or not Lilith remembers it is not really an issue. I try to make it clear though on the fact if it's a memory or just some insight.**

**So this Sunday I'm going to Disneyland (Trust me, I'm not all that happy about it. If you knew me, you'd know why.) and I won't be able to update this Sunday so I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by Monday night, or Tuesday. That's of course assuming I can get out of my rut with Chapter 7. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING!**


	7. Chapter 7

Tuesday morning the school bell rang initiating the passing period from the first class to the next. Lilith stood by her locker listening to the sounds echo off the walls of her classmates talking all at once. It was somewhat comforting, she hadn't thought of home since the previous day and even now it seemed so far off. She grabbed her chemistry book and slammed her locker closed before taking off towards her next class.

"HEY WATCH IT!" She made contact with an object so solid she was sure she crashed into a wall. When she backed up and took a glance to her assailant she felt her heart drop into her stomach. His blonde hair glistened in the light above him. His blue eyes bore her down with a cold icy stare. His features then softened as he looked her over. "Oh, hey Lilith." He said backing away from her. "Sorry, I didn't know it was you."

She looked him over suddenly confused with his new change of attitude. This was not the same Dash Baxter who had promised to shove her into a locker not a few weeks ago. _What changed in him?_ The burning sensation returned and she covered her mouth as the heat exited through her mouth and nose. The taste of bile sat at the base of her throat, threatening to rise. Again the feeling was there, and again no sign of a ghost anywhere. From behind Dash, Tucker had his nose buried in his PDA while Danny had his left arm draped over Sam's shoulders. His letterman jacket rested firmly over her torso. The three were walking towards them and it was Sam who noticed the confrontation first.

"No, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." She got out, her tone low and confused.

"Hey Danny!" He called turning to see his teammate heading in his direction. "What's the scoop on this new ghost girl?" He asked handing him a newspaper.

As Danny looked it over, reading the headline and article, Sam left his side and walked over to Lilith. She whispered soft words so no one else could hear and was just as shocked to see Dash had finally let off her. Lilith had only shrugged and nodded with a smile.

"What new ghost?" Sam asked finally offering her acknowledgment to the conversation.

"This one." Danny said handing her the paper. On the front page under the caption 'New Ghost, Old Fight' rested a picture of Lilith in her ghost form, long white hair flowing freely behind her. Her hands were spread out in front of her as she shot a purple ray of light at Youngblood. It had clearly been taken the day before mid-battle.

"Yeah, she looks so HOT!" Dash said looking over to Kwan who merely nodded and agreed with a loud 'Heck ya'.

"I'm not sure who she is. She left before I could ask her anything." Danny said shooting a quick wink over to Lilith who had looked terrified, hoping he wouldn't rat her out. Sam nudged her softly, silently telling her to relax. They were her friends, they'd never betray her. She just wished she could offer them the same promise.

A few of the other guys from the football team offered cat calls and 'woofs' while Sam just rolled her eyes at the immaturity of them all. Lilith hid her face, a blush gracing her cheeks for the first time in years.

"Be that as it may," Danny interrupted his teammates, slowly making his way to Sam's side. "She's nothing compared to this girl here." He draped his arm around her once more and pulled her close to kiss her lips. Lilith could tell Sam didn't like the attention, but loved to hear Danny talk about her in such a way, what woman wouldn't?

The sick feeling was back again, the feeling that soon all of this would be nothing but a memory. Soon Sam would be faced with a reality so harsh it would be like life bitch slapped her. The pain and heartache too much to take for one eighteen year old, yet she had no choice. Somehow her mother would gather her strength, give birth to her and continue on with her empty life. She admired the woman, now, more than ever. She kept going only for the life she had brought into the world.

A loud 'ooo' brought Lilith back to the present as the few people now ogled over the high school sweethearts. Danny blushed while Sam simply smiled and turned to leave, leading the four of them to their next class. Just as the Latin girl turned and called 'Love Birds' out to them, the bell rang. It alone told everyone still in the halls they were late for their next class. Lilith laughed to herself softly, throwing herself down into her seat.

Once school was over, the four of them walked the small distance to Danny's house for some studying in the Ghost Zone, Lilith had yet to enter the other realm. She stared at the large contraption above the building. The sign proudly read 'Fenton Works' and she couldn't help but feel a twinge in her gut. The first time she had seen the building was with Clockwork, why he had brought her here first was still a mystery as her own existence.

"Ok, so this is the Ghost Portal." Danny said once they were down in the basement. She looked to the large metal contraption confused.

She silently watched as he pressed a button on the wall before the metal doors separated. She watched as the hole became green with swirling lights. Her heart raced, it was single handedly the most peculiar and beautiful thing she had ever seen. It made promises of a far off land filled with knowledge and danger, and she was willing to risk dying for all it had to offer. Her eyes gleamed as she felt strangely drawn to it.

"You know what? I think Lilith needs a Phantom name." Tucker said staring at the newspaper before throwing it on the nearby table. His voice broke the silence and the trance Lilith was in. The three standing teens looked to the techno geek who had been sitting in his chair quietly until now. "I mean, her real identity needs to be a secret so…"

"I agree with Tucker." Sam cut in. That was true, what was a Ghost fighting hero, without a name?

"How about Lilith Spook?" Tucker offered, clearly he had been sitting on that name for a while.

"No way Tucker, that's too cheesy." Sam said quickly. "Besides I'm a fan of Lilith Ethereal. Gives it a feminine touch."

"I don't think so Sam." Danny said sounding unsure. "Doesn't hit the ear just right. Besides it sounds like she's more of an angel than a ghost."

"Well what do you suggest?" She asked shooting him a glance. He seemed to ponder this for a moment, her gaze shot from Danny to the forbidden world in the time he stood there. His hand over his mouth and his eyes dazed over with deep contemplation.

"Lilith Wraith." He said smiling, Tucker nodded and Sam looked to him slightly confused. She knew Danny wasn't an idiot, just clueless, but the fact he knew that word sort of took her by surprise. Lilith wasn't honestly a fan of any of them.

"Well my name _is_ Lilith Hayes, so why not Lilith Haunt?" She questioned, the three teens seemed to let it sit before nodding in agreement. In all honesty it was her second choice. Her first was Lilith Phantom, but that last name was already taken. She didn't want to seem like she was trying to associate herself with him or moving in on his territory, but Lilith Phantom just had a nicer ring to it, as if it was meant to be.

"Definitely sounds better." Sam said softly, Tucker gave a 'thumbs up' and Danny seemed just as satisfied as the rest. They turned back to the Ghost Zone and just before Danny was able to open his mouth and speak again, a female voice called from upstairs.

"Danny, honey. Are you home?"

"In the lab Mom!" He called back, pushing another button initiating the metal doors to close on the hidden world to Lilith.

"Well come on upstairs." She called, her voice sounding further and further away with each syllable.

The four of them headed for the stairs and entered the Fenton Kitchen before noticing the Television was on. Jazz had already been seated and was now watching avidly as the others gathered around behind her. The news woman talked on about Lilith's fight with Youngblood during the previous day.

"…Not much is known on the new ghost in town, but this much is clear. It seems Danny Phantom may have some help from this new ghost. Back to you in the studio."

"A new ghost?" Jack asked happily. "So son," He said pulling Danny close. "What's she like?"

"She seems nice, willing to help the cause." He said casually.

"What's her name dear?" Maddie asked, she paused before asking another question. "Is she…like you?"

"No mom." He said rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. "Her name is Lilith Haunt. She died a few years ago. Or so she says."

"Oh, well I'm glad she found her way to Amity Park." Maddie said, her back turned. "Just so long as she means nice, I guess we can make room for her here." Jazz looked to Lilith and smiled softly, happy the new half ghost was finally settling in.

"Don't worry Mrs. Fenton, we plan on keeping her on our side." Sam piped in, looking to Lilith. She had still yet to figure out what her purpose in Amity Park was, but wanted the girl to know they'd always be watching her.

It wasn't long until they found themselves in Danny's room. They had a lot of studying for another block of finals the following day. Books littered the floor and random papers with notes were scattered about. Lilith lifted her head to find Tucker studying for his math final while Danny was reading up on his history. Sam looked to her confused, they both had the same class the next morning and she could tell her mother sensed a difference in her.

"I dunno." Tucker said looking up at the ceiling from the desk chair that he was spinning around in circles with. "I just don't know."

"Don't know what?" Lilith asked looking over to him confused.

"Why is any of this important?" He yelled throwing his pencil across the room. "I can think logically,  
I don't need to prove it with math."

"Oddly enough I agree." Lilith said trying to stifle a laugh. "I loathe geometry."

"I say we take a study break." Danny said slamming his history book shut and getting up from his spot next to Sam on the bed.

"And what, pray tell, do you suggest we do instead?" Sam asked looking up from her own History book.

"Well, we never did finish showing Lilith the Ghost Zone." Danny said smiling as he noticed Lilith's eyes go wide and a smile grace itself across her face.

"Ok, so Lilith if you get lost just call for one of us into the speaker here." Sam said handing her a pair of Fenton Phones. Lilith took them graciously and inserted them, nodding when Tucker gave off a test read.

"Danny will lead you in as a ghost. We'll be in the Spector Speeder not too far behind." Tucker said proudly as Sam closed the door on the odd looking machine before them.

"Ready?" Danny asked offering her his hand. She nodded her head and allowed her ghost half to take over, before grabbing his hand and letting him lead her into the unknown world.

She took in her surroundings and found the green and purple world almost emancipating to her capture soul. Here she didn't feel the need to be someone she wasn't. Behind every floating door lay a world she had yet to discover and though danger lurked behind every twist, turn and corner she felt as if this alone was a part of her.

"Don't worry, that feeling is natural." A voice from within her head whispered. She froze, knowing it was outside her head and not in it. Someone and read her thoughts, or maybe her face. She looked over to find Sam and Tucker looking at her happily.

"It's the ghost in you." Danny explained, his voice could be heard the same way she heard Sam's, through the Fenton Phones. She nodded in agreement, slightly embarrassed she was unable to contain her reaction to her new world.

They must have spent hours in there, exploring the domains of some of the less dangerous ghosts, because by the time they finally returned home it was dark and quiet outside. Lilith had said her good-byes for the night and left with Tucker, who only walked with her for half a block until they had to part and go their separate ways. She enjoyed Tucker's company and looked to him like an older brother she never had. Being an only child was tough on her, there were times she longed for a sibling just to keep her company on the lonely nights her parents were out for work or just to avoid one another.

She took a short cut through the park and was almost to her hotel room when an icy chill broke through her body and she exhaled to find her ghost sense once again activated. She stopped dead in her tracks, and slowly took in her surroundings, hoping whoever was following her would make themselves known before the attack.

"Whose there?" She questioned the eerie silence. "I know your there." Again the area around her was silent. "Show yourself." She hollered, her eyes glowing green. Before she could even take her next breath something violently jumped out of the nearby bushes and landed only inches from her.

She looked the large beast up, from its toes to its head. It looked like nothing more than an oversized dog. He towered over her by a good two and a half feet, his eyes were glowing green and his teeth were sharp as he snarled at her. She noticed a metal bracelet resided on his left wrist, though it looked more like a handcuff that had been cut off. He wore lime green pants and matching hoodie that was pulled over his head, the only thing peeking out from the darkness were his luminescent eyes. His claws were only inches from her throat as saliva dripped from his growling snout.

She closed her eyes briefly, allowing her ghost half to take over her once again. She stood before the oversized ghost dog ready to fight. The heels of her black boots were rising off the ground as she prepared to throw herself forward in battle. Her white gloved hands tightened into angry fists as she ran over a million scenarios in her head, waiting for him to make the first move.

She watched confused as he took in her appearance, as if he had only now realized her standing there and gently pulled back, looking the girl up and down. She fought against her natural instinct to relax when she noticed him no longer offering her a hostile pose. She watched defensively as he cocked his head to the side in confusion only to lean towards her slowly. She remained frozen to her spot as he inhaled just above her head and began to curiously sniff the air around her.

She was so shocked by this she felt there was nothing to do, but let him discover she was not whoever he thought she was. Her long white hair flowed freely behind her with the cool night breeze and after what felt like hours she noticed the dog's tail slowly started to wag. He once again pulled back so green eyes met green and his demeanor changed completely. He opened his mouth and spoke in a language so foreign to the teen ghost; she would swear it was made up all together.

"Do I know you?" She asked softly, no longer feeling threatened by him, but just confused. "Do you know me?"

Again he spoke, his language was lost on her ears; he'd have been more understandable with silence. She tried to grasp on to what he said, and only came to find his language was _not_ made up. As he seemed to have no struggle with certain words he kept repeating, followed by the same goofy grin.

"Me, no speak-y." She said softly, hoping to get through to him. Instead she just stood there as he threw his arms around her and pulled her close for a tight hug. She struggled against his embrace and struggled even more with how this overgrown mutt knew her so well.

As he pulled away and released her he licked her cheek once more before raising his right paw and clawing a hole into the air. Lilith stood there lost and confused as another world seemed to appear before her very eyes. It was the same feeling that came to her as she travelled in the Ghost Zone, warm and safe. As if some unseen being called her home. He looked to her once more and pointed to her chest, his long nail racking over the fabric of cloth that covered the medallion Clockwork had given her. He then brought the same finger to his lips and muttered a 'Shh' before jumping through the portal and disappearing with it for the night.

Lilith stood there, completely dumbfounded as she looked to the now empty space before her. _He knew? _It was obvious he knew her, how or from where she was unsure, but it was also clear he knew she was not from this time. _Who are you?_ She allowed the two rings to cover her body once more for the night and returned back to her normal attire of jeans and a large black shirt that read '**I can't decide between morbid isolation or social repulsion**'.

He knew she was from the future, though how, was beyond her. _Did Clockwork send him? Is he checking up on me? Or does this dog know something I don't?_

"_Mommy, Mommy. Look!" The six year old cried out excitedly as she jumped up and down at her mother's side. _

_Her mother looked down to the child, more than willing to offer her daughter any and all attention. She watched as the girl breathed outward, a cold mist escaping from her mouth. In an instant her eyes went from calm and curious to wide an alert. Her hand flew over her daughter's mouth as her gaze darted around the area. Taking in every person and every unseen corner. _

"_Come on, Lil. We need to go." She said picking her daughter up and quickly carrying her off the park playground and to the car._

"_But mommy, I want to play." She whined softly._

"_We will, baby. When we get home, I promise." She said strapping her into the back seat before getting into the driver's spot and starting up the car. Lilith's gaze from the backseat locked on a tall dark figure looming in the bushes. His gaze hot and intense on her as she was forced to flee the area._

"_Mommy?" Her soft voice broke the silence and shattered Sam's thoughts._

"_What Lil?" She asked stealing a glance back at her from the rearview mirror._

"_Are we gonna have to leave again?" She wondered softly. They had been moving from city to city for as long as Lilith could remember. Only when her mother had married her father did they seem to have settled on a spot for good, but even now it seemed Ohio wasn't the safest place for them either._

"_I don't know sweetie, I just don't know." Sam said softly, focusing back on the road in front of her._

Lilith continued on to her hotel room, needing a hot shower and a good night's sleep. She could have sworn she had never seen that ghost beast before. She was sure she would have remembered him. Yet the way he acted towards her it was as if he was being reunited with an old friend, one he hadn't seen in years.

She wiped the steam away from the mirror and looked down to the pendant around her neck. He knew it was there, he knew she was different and he didn't appear to want to cause her harm. Maybe he was a guardian, sent by Clockwork himself to protect her on her journey. Or maybe he was a friend from so long ago she was too young to remember. Whoever or whatever he was, she knew he meant her no harm. Maybe she had just made a new friend, now if only she knew what he was saying.

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	8. Chapter 8

Lilith sat in an overstuffed chair in her mother's room playing with her fingers and trying to pass the time in any way possible. Sam had called her here while she had been at school, stating it was important and couldn't wait. So being the 'friend' she was, she skipped her last two classes to meet up with her mother. Had she would have known she'd be waiting more than forty-five minutes in shear boredom, she would have just stayed in school and came afterwards.

Her mother had been sick for the past two weeks and had been missing a few scattered days in that time. Her parents were slightly worried, and though Lilith would never openly admit it, she too was starting to feel uneasy. In all honesty, she should have been home by now. Forget dwelling on the past, she needed to get her mission done and head back home. She missed her _mother_, the woman who had all the answers, not the teen with nothing but questions.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she was startled when the all too familiar burning sensation entered her stomach. She felt it uncomfortably make its way up her body like smoke and exit out her nose and mouth in a red hot exhale. She was sick and tired of the feeling and longed for whatever was causing it to be over with. It had been going on for the past two and a half months, ever since the Monday after her mother's third anniversary with Danny.

Between her own growing illness and the dwindling money, she was ready to just take the necklace off, throw it against a nearby wall and return home. She honestly didn't care whether or not her demise was waiting for her at the end of her bus ride. She didn't care if her mother and father were fighting so much that it was literally making her physically sick. She was homesick and scared that another minute in the past would leave her there for good. Without a mother, father and a way to provide for herself.

As if one queue, or as if the feeling was signaling her arrival, as it so often appeared to do, the bedroom door opened and Sam walked through it. She looked lost, like someone had stolen her kitten. Lilith watched as the teen made her way over to the bed and silently sat down, she seemed oblivious to the other girl's presence.

"Hey Sam." Lilith spoke, pulling Sam's attention toward her and out of her thoughts.

"Oh, hey Lil." She whispered, Lilith was brought back by this. In the past months since she had arrived her mother never once called her that, in fact the last time she'd been called Lil was when she was eight, before her life seemed to spiral out of control. Well except for Tucker, he had definitely taken a liking to that nickname for her.

"Everything alright?" She pressed, hoping to get to the bottom of the issue as to why she had been called there.

"I'm not sure." Her eyes were hazed over in confusion and she looked as if she were in a trance.

"What's up?" Lilith pried, hoping nothing was seriously wrong with her.

"I'm pregnant." She said dryly as if she herself didn't believe the almost absurd statement.

Lilith felt her whole body go numb and grow with weight at the same time, the words slapped her across the face and she immediately felt sick to her stomach. Her mother? Seventeen and pregnant? _How was that possible?_ Her mother was supposed to be eighteen when she had her. Plus her father hadn't even introduced himself into her mother's life. It scared her. The child currently residing in her mother's womb was _not _her.

Was it possible she had an older sibling she never knew about? A sibling that would live with Danny when her mother parted with this town? Would the child never make it to birth? Resulting in her mother running away from the heartache? So many questions rattled through her mind, something was not right. Did this have something to do with her new and improved ghost sense? Surely if something were wrong Clockwork would bring her home. Right?

Her sudden possible brush with mortality had her head reeling. She now found her hands playing with her shirt, pressing down and keeping the medallion firmly on her neck. Afraid it'd fall off and she'd be transported to the future. Only there would be no future for her, she would cease to exist.

"Lilith?" Sam asked, pulling the confused girl from her inner debate.

"You're…pregnant?" She questioned, difficulty in finding the words. Her mother nodded slowly. There was so much about the woman's past she knew nothing about. She held back the tears as fear entered her. _Was this supposed to happen? _Would she soon begin to disappear because this would affect her own creation?

"I don't know what to do." She said softly, Lilith noticed she looked different all of a sudden. Almost as if she was getting a preview of the woman she would one day become.

She remained quiet, afraid to speak. Her mother was in a boat she could no longer see, drifting into the dark abyss hidden beyond the horizon alone. Lilith looked over to her before noticing small tears falling from her eyes. She was thrown back by this. She had NEVER seen her mother cry. She had _heard_ her countless times, but never seen the actual tears fall. Times when she was unaware her daughter was listening in, but never in front of her. She felt that by doing so she appeared weak and had to maintain strength so her daughter would carry on.

Lilith felt the lack of tears her mother showed were to blame for her own lack of emotion. Only expressing the fear, pain and laughter now, in this time; when her mother couldn't look and judge her with the same heart she could back home. Here Lilith was just another girl, back home she was Samantha Manson-Hayes's daughter. Any sign of emotion would not only ruin her own image, but that of her mother's as well. Yet now, as Sam sat there crying softly, everything seemed to change. The image became cracked and broken shards fell from the wall it rested on, puncturing the skin and pulling out crimson blood.

Lilith fell to the bed beside her mother and embraced the distraught teen. Unsure of anything else to do, she held the fragile teen close. And Sam let her, she let her friend hold her in her embrace and let her walls come crumbling down along with the tears. Her body shook violently in the other Goth's arms and she became lost in a world she found comfort in.

"I'm here for you." Lilith whispered into her dark hair. With this new information she refused to return home. Afraid there was no home to return to, and vowed to fix it all before it was too late. She was slowly running forbidden thoughts through her head as Sam began to calm down.

_What if I stay here? What if I never take this necklace off and make my own life here? I could go to college, get a good job and who knows, maybe even get to know my half sibling. I can't go home. No! I may not even have a future any more. _

"Thanks Lil." Sam said pulling away with a smile on her face as she wiped the tears free. "Ugh, I don't know how I'm going to tell Danny."

"However you do it, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic."

"You think so?" She asked sounding like a child being told not to fear her parent's punishment.

"Of course, it's obvious he loves you and would die for you. This baby would just make him love you more…if possible." Lilith believed her statement too much for her own liking.

Here Sam and Danny were two madly in love teens with a baby on the way. They would both more than likely get married, have the baby and live happily ever after. While Richard Hayes somewhere out there would fall for another woman, reproduce with her and live his own happily ever after. Their paths never crossing and their DNA never combining to create one…Lilith Aria Hayes. She would be the only one suffering from all this. She would never be born and would soon disappear from this world, returning to whatever plane of non-existence she had first escaped from.

Her fate was sealed. It would just be a matter of time before a ghost came to collect her soul, taking her away from a world that no longer required her to survive in.

Sam looked to Lilith before offering the girl a 'thank you' for consoling her and wishing her a good-bye. She needed time to think, and though she thoroughly enjoyed the teen's company and shared thoughts, she required time alone. She rested back on her bed and placed her hand over her stomach, feeling the slight puffiness of her skin. She smiled softly.

The room was quiet, the rest of the mansion dead as a tomb. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and wondered how long it would be before she could hear the beat of her own child's heart. She wondered how many weeks would pass before she could feel the child kicking. How far into the pregnancy when she was finally beat with exhaustion that the simple thought of leaving bed would sicken her. How long until she would be getting the hateful stares at school? Everyone who had come to love Danny, Tucker, Lilith and herself as if they were always their friends would start to talk about her. Calling her names and ignoring the pregnant teen.

Would Danny even want the child? Were they truly meant to be? Or was this a simple high school fling that would have ended in a fiery blaze? Or were they meant to be parents at the early age of eighteen?

In only a few short weeks Danny would be legal. Her own legitimate rights coming in effect a full month and a half later, they'd both be free from anyone's wished options for their child. In just a few short months, she would be an adult and a mother.

The thought of her own parents entered her mind. They would no doubt disown her, leaving her alone in the cold world with her baby and no one else. They would more than likely cut her off financially and claim they had no children; disappointment becoming the primary emotion in all their decisions. She couldn't imagine her life without Danny, but if it meant keeping her baby alive and safe, she would do all she could to continue on.

She let a tear cascade down her face, and run off the side towards her ear. She hoped the Fenton's would understand, but knew no matter how amazing they seemed, they were still parents. Would they blame her? Wishing nothing but the child's destruction before allowing her to ruin their hero son's bright future? They loved her as a person, as their son's friend and girlfriend, but would they love her as the mother of their bastard grandchild?

She wiped away at the pouring tears now and lightly patted her stomach. For the first time, understanding every parent in the world. She was no longer important, her future no longer mattered. Everything she did from this moment on, every decision she made and every path she took would be only for the safety of her baby. She refused to let the world bring her down with the 'what if's' and vowed to do whatever it took to be sure her baby was born, alive healthy and free from any bad company. Even if it meant she alone had to raise it.

She felt so small in that moment, but knew she had to stay strong. No doubt the world would be cruel and hard. Trials and obstacles would be placed before her in the next six and a half months and she knew she had to be strong to hurdle over them and come out victorious. Someone her offspring would one day look back on and admire.

"I promise." She whispered to the silent room. "I will never leave you, and I will always protect you." She brought her hands to her stomach and looked herself over in the mirror adjacent to her bed. She was no longer the girl who used to follow Danny Phantom into battle, ready to take whatever hit the ghost enemy would inflict upon her. NO! She was now the young woman, the vessel to a future phantom and protector of his spawn.

Not matter what the world said, no matter who did what to harm her, she would continue on and be the best mother she knew how. She would never let the negativity or bad blood stain her hands in loving, caring or raising her seed. Whether it be from her own mind, or born in the minds and spoken from the mouths of those surrounding her.

Her hand rested over the flat taunt skin that was her abdomen that, in a few short months, would soon be bursting through her pants with the promise of a new life. At first she had been scared, neigh, terrified of what may or may not happen. But now she didn't care, she was going to make her own decisions and let nobody influence her. Nothing mattered anymore, nor would it ever again from that moment on.

Sam smiled at her reflection. For the first time in her life, she felt alive.

**Ok guys that was my next chapter. I must regrettably inform you all I will be taking a small break from my writing, hopefully no more than a week. I am beginning to exhibit signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and must refrain from writing for a while until the flares die down. **

**I appreciate everyone staying by my stories at this time and the patience until a new chapter is updated. I hope not to spend too much time away and will return as soon as I get the green light. Thank you all for understanding. **

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	9. Chapter 9

"_You picked her up from school without asking me?" Sam spat out turning to look him in the eyes, anger clouding over any other emotion._

"_Why is that such a big deal?" He asked throwing his hands in the air. "Yes, ok? She's my daughter and I wanted to spend the day with her. I don't see why this is such a crime." _

"_You should have at least told me. Do you know what I was thinking when I went to get her and they told me someone had already come to pick her up?"_

"_And who else, but me would be there Sam? Huh? Who else would come and get Lilith from school?" She bit her tongue unable and unwilling to honestly answer his question._

"_Look Sam," His voice lowered to a whisper, finding the next words difficult to speak. "You just have to deal with the fact that __**your **__daughter needs some serious help. She's different Sam. I'm not sure if you know it or not, or if your mother's intuition blinds you, but there is something not right about Lilith."_

_Sam looked up to him, her eyes growing dark with hatred and pain, fury replacing anger, ruling her features and attitude._

"_Excuse me? __**My**__ daughter is perfectly fine." She spat back, throwing his words back at him. "There is nothing wrong with __**MY **__daughter." She said poking herself in the chest with two fingers to emphasis her point._

"_Samantha, I picked her up from school today and the other kids were terrified of her. The teacher looked more than happy I was pulling her out early. There is something dark about that girl."_

"_There is nothing wrong with her, Rick. But you know what, you're right. You shouldn't have to be dealing with her like this." She said turning on her heel and heading for the foot of the stairs._

"_What are you going to do?" He asked following her, concern laced his words._

"_I'm taking __**MY **__daughter and we're leaving. You shouldn't have to be worried about her."_

"_And where will you go?" He questioned following her towards the second floor._

"_What's it matter? She'll be away from the school, away from the stares and hateful words, but most of all…She'll be away from __**YOU!**__" She screamed stopping her feet as she climbed._

"_You can't take her from me." He said trying to reach for her to stop her, but failed as she threw open their daughter's bedroom door._

"_Mommy?" Her delicate voice stopped him in his tracks and kept him in the hallway out of view._

"_Hey baby." She could be heard whispering as the closet door was quickly opened._

"_What are you doing?" She was so innocent, so naïve, so different from any other girl her age. _

"_You and mommy are gonna go away for a while." She answered softly. The sound of a zipper could be heard followed by the violent pulling of clothes from their hangers. _

"_Mommy?" She questioned, Rick could hear the tears in her voice, but knew if he looked at her there'd be none in her eyes. She was so much like her mother it scared him sometimes. She was hardened and cold to the world, they both were. As if they shared a secret so dark it alone could mean their end. _

_Maybe they did._

"_Come on, Lil." She said reaching for her seven year olds hand and pulling her out of the room. _

_As they reached the bottom step Sam found Rick standing in front of the door, arms crossed and looking furious. He noticed Lilith had a backpack on her, most likely filled with books and toys to keep her company. Sam stood before him, their eyes meeting, anger met exasperation. _

"_Move, Richard." She said softly, ice in her voice and eyes._

"_No, I'm not letting you take her from me Samantha. I won't stand by and watch as you walk out of my life with her."_

"_Daddy?" Lilith asked looking to both parents. She sensed the hostility in the room and shifted uncomfortably in her spot. _

"_You are so scared of her. Why? She's just a child. And I won't stay another moment here so long as you treat her as if she is a disease."_

"_Daddy? No!" Lilith screamed as Sam reached behind him and opened the door, making him move from his spot. "DADDY! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME!" She screamed and cried. Actual tears pouring from her eyes as she tried to fight off her mother and head for her father. "I'll be a good girl daddy. I promise, please don't let mommy take me away." _

"_Sam, please." He asked softly, hoping to break through the girl's cries. She broke his heart, her cries stabbing through him like knives. "Please don't take her from me. I'm sorry, please give me one more chance, but don't, please Sam, I'm begging you. Don't take my little girl from me."_

_He noticed her body tense, his words hitting her. She loosened her grip on Lilith's arm and the small girl flung herself forward, falling into her father's outstretched arms. She embraced him tightly, all her strength gripping at the collar around his neck, her hot tears falling onto his warm skin. She sniffled in his ear and wiped her face on his shirt. He held her close, brushing her hair back and crying just as softly into her ear. Offering support in forms of 'I love you' into her jet black hair. _

_He watched Sam, she had yet to turn around, her body still frigid in the doorway. She had been crying, he could tell when she turned to face him. Though her face was dry, her eyes were starting to get puffy. She looked at him, daggers pierced his eyes, but she didn't move. Didn't make a step to pull Lilith from his embrace._

"_Hey baby." He whispered looking down to the distraught child in his arms. "Why don't you go upstairs to your room and let mommy and me talk, huh?" Lilith nodded her head, taking off towards the stairs faster than her little legs could carry her. Afraid that if she didn't move fast enough, her mother would change her mind and attempt to pull her out the door again._

"_What the fuck, Rick?" She spat out, her first words in over five minutes. She dropped the bag to the floor and slammed the door behind her. _

"_Sam, please…"_

"_No Rick, what the hell is your problem lately?" She took two strides forward and was only inches from his face. He took a deep breath and maintained his ground._

"_She's the only child I've ever had, and I can't live if you take her from me." She seemed to contemplating his words before opening her mouth and speaking._

"_That may be true, but I don't see you treating her as such. You're acting like she'll kill you as soon as look at you._

"_I know, and I'm sorry. I just…" He trailed off, massaging the pressure point between his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I don't know what's wrong with her and whatever it is…I'm scared it'll kill her or someone else. I don't know if there's a cure, or if she is capable of controlling it."_

"_There is no cure, it's not the plague, it's who she is."_

"_WHO IS SHE SAM?" He managed to spit out. "I love her, and I love you. I really do, but I don't want her looking back years from now asking me why I didn't do more to get her help."_

"_There is no help, there is no stopping it. She needs to come to terms with it and handle it on her own, nobody else can do it for her."_

"_What is it? Telekinesis? Is she schizophrenic? Is there more than one person living in her head?"_

"_No, it's none of that. It's a form of her own expression. She's had it since she was born and there is nothing correcting it. She has to figure out the best way to deal with it."_

_He paused, knowing he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted out of her. Instead he tried to change the conversation, end their argument. He wanted to help in the only way he knew how, he felt useless when it came to his daughter and wanted nothing more than to help her in her trial of need._

"_Look Sam, we can move. My boss wants to promote me to CEO of our division in Highland Park. We can move out there, Lilith can get a fresh new start and maybe put all this behind her."_

"_I don't know, Rick." Her tone had relaxed and she was nearing a form of casualness. "I mean all this moving can't be good for her. She needs a stabile living environment for her development. I believe it's the only way she can maintain some control over this gift of hers."_

"_I know, babe." He whispered rubbing his hands up and down her arms, happy she was becoming more tranquil and longed to keep her that way. He hated fighting with her, and knew she was capable of taking off with the one thing that meant the world to him. "We'll move out there, she can get a fresh start where nobody knows her or whatever it is she's capable of." Sam opened her mouth to protest, but he put his finger to her lips, silencing her. "You don't want to tell me, and that's fine. You don't have to, but Lilith deserves to grow up without the judgmental looks and hateful words of those who do know her."_

"_I don't want to move unless she's ok with it."_

"_I agree. I don't think asking her to be running from this is a way to deal with it, but she does need change. We all do." Sam allowed her body to relax in his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. She was happy he was so understanding and willing to accept Lilith for her unique abilities. "I'm sorry I said what I did…I just…I don't understand what's going on with our little girl and it scares me that I won't be able to control it and keep her safe."_

"_I know, I feel the same. That's why I ask her to repress it, using it is nothing but dangerous for her and us." Sam said wrapping her arms around his neck._

"_Are you ever going to tell me what it is she has?"_

"_Not yet." She whispered shaking her head into the crook of his neck. "I'm not sure when, but eventually, when she's ready….she'll tell you." He nodded in understanding knowing both his wife and daughter had their own personal secrets that they would tell him if they felt he truly needed to know. _

"_What's wrong?" He asked noticing her breathing was labored again and she felt as if she was crying into his shirt, much like Lilith had done earlier. _

"_Nothing." She got out pulling away and picking up the old duffel bag and heading for the stairs once more to put the contents back in their original places._

"_Doesn't sound like 'nothing' to me Sammy."_

"_It's just…" She froze mid step and turned so quickly on her heel she almost knocked him down the stairs with the action. "Every day I find myself becoming more and more like my parents." He chuckled softly at this as the statement left her mouth with pure honesty. _

"_What's wrong with that? Every child eventually becomes their parents."_

"_I know, but I just wish I could see them again and apologize for being so hard on them. For making life so difficult. Everything they ever did suddenly makes sense."_

"_And that, is a sign that you've grown up." He joked following her back up the stairs to their daughter's room._

"_Oh shut up." She joked, giving off a soft giggle in return._

"_Don't worry Sam, I'm sure they are watching over you and happy to see you finally understand." He spoke. Sam's face fell. Happy her back was to him and he couldn't see. _

_She had never told him her parents were still alive. She never told him she lied about them dying simply because she knew they were looking for her and Lilith. They longed to see their daughter and granddaughter again. They had only a few short days with them both before Sam was forced to do what she did. She was always afraid she'd come home to find they hired some private investigator to find them. She was always afraid they'd take them back home to face their demons, explaining to Lilith it was her destiny._

_She knew both her parents loved her, would respect her wishes to leave and never look back. After all she'd made it this far without making contact with them. She also knew should she send them a line asking for money they'd wire whatever she needed without question. If she needed them, she knew they'd be on a plane at the drop of a dime. _

_She'd had her differences with them, butted heads on more than one occasion, but they were her parents and they loved her deeply. They would do anything for her and Lilith. With that she smiled, realizing becoming her parents wasn't as bad as she once perceived it to be. _

"_Hey baby." Rick said looking to his daughter. She was laying on the floor, her back a stiff board against the carpet. _

_Her face was stone stiff, the best poker face he'd ever seen, her eyes were locked on the ceiling. The only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of her chest and her eyes that blinked every minute on the minute. He stepped back and let Sam move towards her, he knew this to be her thinking pose and didn't dare interrupt her. Her eyes were puffy with previously fallen tears, but her face was bone dry._

"_Lil." Sam said, gently nudging her side with the tip of her shoe. He watched as Lilith's limp body gently rocked against the action before she let opened her mouth and let out a loud scream. Before Rick could even bring his hands to shield his ears Sam had fallen to her feet and covered her mouth. _

_He stole a glance to the edge of the room and noticed her small mirror had cracked, a large shard resting helplessly on the floor. Sam looked over to him with a sympathetic look and he took that as his cue to leave. He didn't know what his daughter was, nor did he really care. He knew both girls could handle it far better than him. He grabbed his coat and exited the house, leaving the mystery of his child's difference behind._

"_Lilith, what the hell is wrong with you?" Sam asked looking her over. She flinched when her baby blue eyes became a neon green. It scared her; they were so much like his. The girl seemed oblivious to the fact they were even glowing. _

"_I'm a freak." She screamed, tears pouring from her eyes, which had now returned to their baby blue._

"_No you're not, honey." She whispered picking her up and holding her close._

"_Yes I am." She cried into her mother's blouse. "All the kids at school tell me. I'm sorry mommy, I try not to let it escape, but sometimes I can't control it."_

"_I know, Lil. I know." She soothed her, running her hands through her hair that was shining brightly and slowly shifting between her raven black to snow white. She was glad Rick left, he was only willing to take in so much secrecy and so many lies before he would crack and demand to know what she was. _

"_No you don't mommy." She screamed, her voice rising as the tears fell at their own rate. "You don't know what I'm going through." Sam remained quiet, she was right. She didn't exhibit the same abilities like her daughter did, even throughout her pregnancy she was never as strong her child. "Sometimes I just wish it would all go away."_

_Sam smiled to herself, she sounded so much like someone she knew. Someone she had tried to lock away in her past along with everything he stood for. Funny how the past comes back to haunt you. Lilith got up from her mother's lap and crawled onto her bed. No longer crying, just simply pouting._

"_Hey, how would you like to move away?" Sam asked softly. Lilith turned to look her mother in the eyes. _

"_We always move mommy." She whispered. She was more grown up and mature than any child her age. Her mental development beyond comprehension. Soon, it would become harder to lie to her._

"_I know, but what do you say one more time? Huh?" She said reaching her hand out to lightly rub the girl's arm. "You can make friends this time, maybe even get rid of this…"_

"_Why do I have it?" Her words floored Sam and stopped her heart. "Why am I different than everybody else?"_

"_Well baby I don't know." She whispered so low she wasn't sure if she could hear her. "I've asked myself that question a million times over, but I can't seem to come up with an answer, but I promise you, you'll overcome it."_

_Lilith looked her mother over, sensing the woman's struggle in providing an appropriate answer. She allowed her hand to reach across the bed and gently touch her mother's breast. She felt the organ inside her rib cage skip a beat before pulling away. There were things her mother was hiding from her, things she wasn't saying, and whatever it was, it was slowly killing her. Lilith offered her a small smile, she was done pretending everything was going to change one day. She was finished being a burden to her parents. _

_In that moment Lilith Aria Hayes allowed her own execution to start. She would destroy her other half even if it meant killing the one she tried to live now. She would start to hide things from them, never speaking a word of her abilities again. Maybe then her parents wouldn't split, maybe then life could be normal. She would never allow them to see the green eyed, white haired demon again. Because starting now she would do all in her power to be sure she never showed her face again in her parent's life. They would forget she existed and leave her dead in the past where she belonged._

"_Is daddy coming with us?" She asked softly, her sly smile catching her mother off guard._

"_Of course, baby." She said, wondering what her daughter was thinking._

"_Ok, we'll move." She said happily smiling so brightly her teeth could be seen. Sam smiled back and looked down to her only child. Had she would have known that was going to be the last time she was ever going to see her daughter in her childlike state, she would have never asked her to change._

Lilith looked up from her spot on Danny's bed, the ceiling her only view. She blinked back tears, the memories of her past too much for her to bare. She hiccupped softly and was shocked to see the red smoke once again leave her, she knew Sam was in the room with her, where though she was unsure. She longed to turn to Sam and question her about everything, but knew it would be useless. This teenager knew nothing of the future, and would only become an annoyance with her questions and probing.

Why was it so important for her to hide who she really was? How long had her mother known what she has? Her father? Did they really know, or was her own subconscious finally losing it? A last minute ditch effort at exposing lies before her own life abruptly ended? What was this baby? And when would her demise come?

Anger and hate filled her very being. Anger for being lied to, for having to hide who she truly was, killing apart of herself and hiding her existence whenever she failed to properly keep her ghost half in check. Hate feeling obligated to no longer be herself. She had thought her parents never knew, they never let on that they knew her secret. Maybe they didn't; maybe she was just losing her mind slowly. That had to be the answer. But then why lie about moving?

She had memories of moving from place to place, but every time she questioned them about it they'd look at her as if she'd grown a second head. Both staying firm with the answer they had lived in their current house for the past sixteen years. Maybe she was losing it, her own reality becoming altered as death stood by her, waiting to sweep her from this plane.

"Penny for your thoughts." Sam muttered into the silence. Lilith let her head fall to the side the voice called from and took Sam in. She was sitting on Danny's desk chair, but wasn't spinning like she normally was, most likely her stomach finally setting for the day after her terrible morning sickness.

"Gonna cost more than a penny." She answered back, pulling a smile from her friend as she sat up in the bed.

"You ok?" She asked getting up from her seat quickly and placing the back of her hand to her head.

"Fine, what happened?" She questioned.

"I'm not sure. I was hoping you could tell me."

"Well I just realized I was lied to my whole life by my parents." She stated in a judging tone as if blaming Sam for the problem. She was, but this wasn't the right Sam she was to be blaming.

"Welcome to being a teen." She whispered sitting on the edge of the bed when she moved to make room.

"Where's Danny and Tucker?" She said pushing her resentment into the back of her head.

"On their way up." She said and as if on cue the door opened, both boys piling into the room.

"Hey! You're up." Tucker said happily rushing over to her side.

"Jeeze, Lilith. That stunt you pulled was crazy." Danny stated with a hostile tone.

Again the feeling came back, as if he were her father reprimanding her. She rolled her eyes before looking him once over. Her head ached and she was sure whatever she did was worthy of being scolded for.

"What happened?" She finally asked bringing her hand to the back of her head rubbing the sore spot softly.

"I'm not sure, none of us are." Danny said looking to her with a softened expression. "One minute you're standing talking to us and the next…" He trailed off, as if the next words were hard to speak.

"You blacked out or something. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head and you just collapsed to the floor." Tucker finished, his look full of concern.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked again, wondering if any of the news was giving her memory back. She nodded her head yes, fear setting in. Her face looked drained of blood and her head was pounding. She felt as if her end was coming quicker then she had planned. Death was at her door, trying to break in. She doubted whatever she was supposed to fix would never be.

"Are you sure Lilith? I mean if something's wrong…"

"I'm fine." She cut him off quickly, not wishing to burden them with her own dilemma. "I promise."

The three teens nodded and exited the room, clearly meaning for her to follow. She got off the bed on shaky legs, but managed to stand and walk with little issues. She passed by the mirror and looked herself over, the reflection was scary beyond comparison. She no longer recognized the girl looking back at her. The skin was pale in her human form, her eyes bloodshot with dark circles, making her believe she hadn't slept in weeks. Her hair lighter, her lips chapped and cold. She brought a hand to her face and watched as her eyes flashed a crimson red before returning to her almost grey-blues. She jumped back, startled by the action, before hurrying down the stairs as Tucker called for her.

The woman in her reflection was no one she knew, or cared to. But feared she was slowly becoming her before the world's very eyes, her friends were just too blind to see it.

**Ok I stole my laptop from my friend and I was able to post this chapter real fast. So I should have a new one up after my recovery is complete, sometime next week. I'm hoping to sneak a chapter of The Present in the Past in soon, I'll see what I can do. Thanks for being so patient guys, I really appreciate it.**

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	10. Chapter 10

Pamela Manson looked down to the diamond Rolex watch on her wrist and sighed heavily. Her daughter was going to sleep through another school day. She knew Sam had been sick, though with what no one really knew. Her trip to the doctors the previous day had only told them it was a form of the stomach flu, though she had a feeling it was much more than just that. Sam hardly ever got sick, and when she did she was a real fighter, she was able to turn a two week cold into only three days. But not this time, no, this time it was different, she couldn't seem to shake this illness.

Pamela brought her hand to Sam's door to knock, wondering if today she was up for school or if she'd want to call out again. Before her fist could make contact she dropped it to the knob and gently turned it, pushing the bedroom door open. If she was asleep there was no point in waking her up completely just to go back. She figured she'd gently nudge her awake and ask her that way.

As she entered the dark room, she felt blinded by the dimness and felt her way around to the curtains at the far end of the room. She heard a soft snore escaping the bed and smiled inwardly. Sam had to be sick, she never snored, much like herself, the girl was a quiet sleeper.

She let out an annoyed grunt as she finally wrapped her hands around the giant black curtains. She loved her daughter more than life itself and no matter what would always be by her, but sometimes her decisions were ones she could personally do without. Her gothic attire and dreary outlook on life was definitely one of them, but she was slowly coming to accept her Sam. She was the only child she had and she'd make sure to never do anything to push her away. Sam was her only reason for living and if something happened to her, especially if she'd been the cause of it, she doubted she could survive.

She only sometimes wished she'd try different things, every so often straying away from her own normal. She wanted her daughter to be happy, maybe fall in love and get married someday. There was a time she thought her daughter's appearance was a misleading one, a personal statement that she was trouble and wanted nothing but. However, when her friend Daniel showed himself to the world, she began to open her mind to other possibilities. Her daughter was not a hoodlum or trouble maker, nor were her friends. Actually they were quite the opposite, constantly fighting the forces of evil and protecting the town, not to mention the world itself.

Danny revealing who he was definitely alleviated her heavy heart. Her daughter was in good company and in no real danger of becoming a nuisance to the judicial system. It seemed her daughter was safer with Danny and Tucker than half the people she herself called friends. It was that day both Jeremy and herself decided they would lighten up on changing Sam. She'd done well this far and on her own no doubt, maybe she didn't need them as much as they needed her. That sent a bittersweet stab to the heart.

She opened the curtains just a tad, allowing the smallest bit of sunlight in to bathe the darkness and offer just enough light so she could see. When she turned to her daughter's bed, her heart froze in her chest. This was not something she wanted to see in her daughter's room first thing in the morning.

There, not five feet from her, in the queen sized bed, under the black silk sheets and violet comforter her daughter rested. She was tightly wrapped in the embrace of the hero of Amity Park. They both wore smug smiles on their faces and slept ever so peacefully. Frankly, she saw it coming, maybe not on this day exactly, but eventually. They had been friends since the first grade and nearly inseparable since, not to mention they'd been dating for a little over three years, something had to be going on between them. Deep down she knew sooner or later she'd find them necking or 'in the act' all together. She was actually surprised it was so late in their relationship, had they just recently started? Or was she more blind then she thought?

She took a step forward, careful as to the noises she made. She didn't want to wake them, having a gut feeling they were both as naked as the day they were born under the messy bed. She felt anger rise in her, but just as quickly as it came it left.

She wanted nothing more than to pull them both out of bed and reprimand them, but she found she couldn't. She had been in the same predicament years ago, when she was just a teenager. Caught in bed with the love of her life, or so she thought. Her mother had flipped her lid, threatening to kick her out on the streets if she ever caught her like that again. Oddly enough it had not been her husband in bed with her, but at sixteen she never even knew Jeremy existed. Her so-called-boyfriend had left her, claiming she was more trouble than she was worth. It was than she realized she was never really in love with him, but was with the child growing in her womb.

Once her mother found out she was pregnant she was kicked out of the house and never heard from her parents again. The stress of being sixteen, a single mom and out on her own with little job experience and the education of a high school drop-out, caused her to miscarry. A little girl, her first daughter, never made it past the second trimester. Then she'd met Jeremy, he treated her like a queen, accepted her past and made promises of a brighter future, which he delivered on by giving her Samantha.

She had always hoped Sam wouldn't make the same mistakes she did, she figured it was why she was so hard on the girl, so unwilling to accept her child's differences. Because she feared that one day her daughter would repeat her own history and she wanted so much better for. Yet she couldn't possibly know what her checkered past was, she had tucked that away in her past and hoped to never look back on it. In some way, Sam was different, she wasn't sixteen, she was just a few weeks shy of eighteen, as was Danny. They were both adults and Pamela knew she could no longer tell Sam what she wanted for her.

"Honey, where are you?" Her husband's voice called down the hallway as he approached his daughter's room.

"In here, dear." She said softly, poking her head out the door and keeping it closed from his prying eyes. She seemed a bit out of breath because she had quickly rushed over, not wanting him to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the bedroom. He was a very overprotective father, and before Danny or Sam could explain he'd have the both of them reamed. No, this was something the two teens would have to break to him gently.

"Everything alright?" He asked looking to her oddly.

"Fine, just waking up Sammikins for school." She smiled back, trying to hide all discomfort.

"Alright, I'll be downstairs." He said kissing the tip of her nose before turning back down the hallway.

She waited until he was out of view before closing the door and walking back over to the bay window. She threw the curtains open, basking the whole room in sunlight. She noticed both bed persons flinch in their sleep and scooted closer together, trying to fight off the bright intrusion. She looked around the room and noticed that, besides the carelessly tossed clothes, it was fairly clean.

"Wake up." She whispered harshly, not wanting to wake the other person up just yet. "Daniel, wake up." She poked him in his side and watched as he turned to face her. His eyes fluttered open and as his vision cleared he bolted up in bed, his eyes now wide with fear.

"M…M…Mo…Morning, ugh…Mrs. Manson." He coughed out, trying to straighten his hair.

"Daniel, I suggest you go home before your parents notice you're gone." She said sternly. Though unable to give both a piece of her mind with a clear conscience, she did want them to know she was still upset. She couldn't believe both teens would betray their trust, but then again isn't that what teens did? Disobey their parents at every turn?

"Yes ma'am." He mumbled getting out of bed, making sure to keep the sheet around his lower half while struggling to put his pants on.

"Before you go, wake Samantha up please." She called this as she left the room. She didn't know what to make of the situation, but knew she was disappointed in the girl. She couldn't have waited just a few more weeks? A few more weeks from now she could care a little less. She'd be a legal adult, but now she had to have a talk with her. She just hoped Sam could stay level headed enough to hear her out, to hear why this was such a big deal to her. Why she cared so much about her daughter's, now active, sex life.

"Sam! Sam!" He called shaking her while pulling his left arm through his shirt sleeve. "SAM!" He yelled. She stirred softly in her sleep, her smile falling when she found her bed warm, but empty.

"What?" She asked softly, shielding her eyes from the bright sun.

"Your mom just came in here." She sat upright, the blanket fall from her bare chest before she grabbed onto it and covered herself up.

"What?" She spat out, fear settling into her stomach, pushing past her morning sickness. She couldn't believe she was so careless as to forget to lock the door the previous night. She was basically begging for trouble.

"Yeah, she just woke me up." He was now buttoning his shirt as he watched her struggle to wrap the idea around her mind.

"Did she….say anything?" She wondered, she knew her mother and father would lay into her soon. They were strict, they wouldn't listen to a word she had to say. Never mind the fact she was pregnant they would disown her solely for catching her in bed with Danny. She had still yet to tell him of the growing being in her womb, but knew she had to tell him soon. Before her parents found out, she wouldn't want him finding out from those two.

"Just to go home and wake you up." He said leaning over her, his arms on either side of her body as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll see you at school." He said going ghost and flying out the window.

"COWARD!" She called after him. The sick feeling returning as she ran to the bathroom to throw up, happy he was gone so he wouldn't bombard her with questions as to her mystery illness. She returned to her room an hour later. Having showered, changed and did her hair and make-up, she figured now was as good a time as any to face her parents.

She took each step down the stairs slowly, dreading the morning conversation. As she entered the kitchen she found her father reading the morning paper and drinking his coffee. Her mother shot her a look from the other side of the room and motioned for her to take her seat at the breakfast table. A large cup of green tea and butter less toast sat waiting for her.

"Good morning, Sammikins." Her father said all too happily, either he was good at acting, or her mother had yet to tell him.

"Morning dad." She muttered taking a large sip of her tea, loving how it warmed her dry and scratchy throat on the way down.

"Did we sleep well last night?" Her eyes went wide at the question, from across the room she saw her mother freeze mid step and hold the same expression on her face. Sam blushed softly remembering her previous night and just shook her head, not trusting her voice.

"Sam, Lilith called, she said she'd be here in ten minutes to walk to school with you." Her voice sounded shaky as if she were afraid to talk at all.

"Thanks mom." She whispered taking a bite out of her toast before leaving the table. Her appetite diminished and the need to get away from her mother all too strong.

"Samantha! Wait!" She called after her. Sam scrunched her face up in anger. She was so close to the door, so close to avoiding the conversation for the morning. She turned to look her mother over. Her face had fallen as to reveal a cool and collected teen. "Look, I didn't tell your father. You're old enough to make your own decisions." Sam looked at her, confused and lost, this was not her mom. "But eventually you will have to tell him." This woman was definitely not her mother. She began to wonder if Danny had overshadowed her, but knew better than that. The only person more afraid of her parents than her, was Danny. She was sure when he split he did so with no intention of returning any time soon.

"I know mom." She whispered taking her black pleather purse from her mother's hand.

"Sam, soon we'll talk." She whispered, her voice low and her face casted downward. Sam raised her eyebrow, confusion over her mother's downbeat attitude, it was so unlike her.

"Alright." She whispered opening the door to see Lilith at the foot of the stairs waiting patiently.

"I love you, sweetie." She whispered pulling Sam close for a gentle hug.

"I love you too mom." Sam managed to get out, wrapping one arm around her mother in a form to recuperate the affection.

"What was that about?" Lilith asked once Sam was next to her and the door was closed.

"I'm not really sure, I thought she'd be yelling at me." Sam answered shoving throwing her purse over her shoulder and looking back to the silently closed door.

"Why you say that?" The ghost girl asked walking next to her as they headed for school.

"She found me and Danny in bed together this morning." Sam answered softly. Lilith's eyes went wide in fear as she looked the other girl over.

"You serious?" She asked softly, a look of semi disgust crossing her features.

"Look, I appreciate you coming to walk with me to school, but I won't be going today." Sam said looking to her friend sympathetically.

"Why not?" Lilith asked raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I have an ultra sound scheduled today. I'm gonna get a first look at my baby." She said, a smile on her face as her hand ran over her tiny stomach. The sick feeling of knowing she wasn't supposed to be in this predicament at her age was somewhat over whelming. Her actions had caused this, but she wasn't going to ignore it either, it was time she grew up.

"Is Danny going with you?" She pried and was shocked to find her shaking her head no.

"I haven't told him yet, I wanna wait until I'm sure the baby is fine. No reason to worry him for nothing."

"Do you need someone to come with you?" Truth be told she was afraid to let her mother leave her sight. For fear she'd never see her again.

"I'll be fine, just let Danny and Tucker know I'll see them after school."

"Will do." Lilith called out, waving her friend off before heading up the stairs to her present high school.

As she walked down the hall towards Danny and Tucker, who were mindlessly looking over the school year book. School was just a month away from ending, in a little over five weeks her mother would be a high school graduate and four months pregnant. She let out a sigh of relief, thankful she'd be out of school before she started to show. Assuming the baby still made it to term, she crossed her fingers and hoped so.

**Ok I know Sam's mom may have seemed a bit OCC, but I've read a few stories where Sam's parents flip and quickly disown her and that kinda pisses me off. I mean I was a lot like Sam as a teen, very rebellious and honoree, my parents and I constantly bashed heads and I was banned from doing a lot as a kid, but now that I'm older, I understand them a lot more than before. I also know why they did what they did, they both had pasts and wanted to protect me and my little sister from this God awful world.**

**So that's why I've given Sam's mom a past, to sort of have her understand and not be overly furious with her daughter. Because parents only act the way they do because they want to protect the lives they brought into the world. So I hope I didn't ruin this chapter/Fic, and you guys and kinda see where I came from with this.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

Sam looked the doctor over. Confusion and hurt dwelled in her eyes. He had to be mistaken, how could her unborn three month baby be dead? What had she done wrong? Was it because she was too young? Was this the universe telling her Danny and her didn't belong together?

The ultra sound taken the previous week had been uncomfortable. It was silent and uneasy while her nerves were at their breaking point. She could barely concentrate on her own breathing that day, let alone the odd glances and random questions the technician had been giving. She had ignored the woman with the ice cold gel and sonogram wand, she hadn't even listened as she asked questions that should have told her something was wrong. When they had called her later on in the day for an update appointment she put it off until four days later, refusing to miss any more school. In those four days she still woke with morning sickness and was ravenous come high noon. It was normal, the doctor had told her only minutes ago, her body still believed it was housing a baby. Her body had yet to receive the message it was no longer feeding off of her.

How she now wished she could have snatched up the earliest appointment then instead of knowing it had been residing inside her nonliving for those eight miserable days.

"Ms. Manson, I'm terribly sorry." The man spoke, looking the goth over. Tears were resting behind her eyes, threatening to spill. Her chest had a weight too great on it to breathe. She couldn't wrap her mind around this new information. Just last week she was excited, scared…terrified, but excited nonetheless. She knew Danny and her would find a way to deal with being teen parents because they loved each other and she was positive Danny would love his child. "I'll make an appointment for you to see a specialist tomorrow and another to have the fetus removed as soon as possible."

_The Fetus._ She hated how it sounded, as if it was nothing more than a piece of scientific garbage. There was no fetus in her, no it was her baby. A piece of her and Danny, something that would forever bind them, and now this doctor wanted to remove it? How could her child be dead?

She reluctantly took the slip with the appointment written down. Her appointment with the specialist was at ten the following day and she had to wait until Thursday for the baby to be removed. She had to carry the dead child for two more days. She didn't think she could handle that. It was bad enough knowing the being in her body was no longer going to be born, but now she had to spend the next ten days living with the fact that everything she did didn't matter anymore for the other life.

She didn't know what to do, but knew for certain she wasn't going back to school. She wasn't going to tell Tucker or Danny either, hell she didn't even want to tell Lilith because she feared that by repeating the words it would be real. She made her way to the park and allowed her mind to wander, her tears fell freely now that there was no one to see them. As far as she was concerned, the best days of her life had just ended. She was now faced with the cold reality that was life. There would be no yelling from her parents, no yelling from Danny's parents either. No forced rushed wedding that she was sure both teens would secretly love. No screams to fill the place they would one day call home and no little version of Danny to remind her why she even allowed her mind to play with such thoughts.

Granted it wasn't like her to be thinking of a comfortable future, it's not what she really wanted. But once finding out about her baby, things changed, she changed. She was willing to put it all aside so her child could have the world. So it could have both parents that loved it unconditionally. Her needs didn't seem to matter anymore.

Her stomach growled pulling her back to the present, she was hungry. And she should be, she hadn't eaten since last night, too excited over her doctor's appointment. Now she didn't care if she ever ate again, what did it matter? The food wasn't going to nurture her baby anyways. She couldn't even carry a child through the second trimester, she deserved to starve. She had failed Danny, and he would never know. She would make sure of that.

"Hey Samikins." Her dad greeted as she pushed the front door open and entered into the mansion. "How was school?" He asked as she made her way towards the stairs.

"Was fine dad." She whispered softly taking the first step slowly.

"Your mother made dinner."

"No thanks, I'm still battling the stomach flu." She lied.

"Oh, sorry kiddo. What did the doctor prescribe?" He questioned, concern ruling his voice. She couldn't believe he bought it, she'd been battling this 'stomach flu' almost a month now and he seemed so oblivious to fact it was anything else. Perhaps it was the fact he still believed her to be a virgin, both her and her mother had yet to utter a word to the poor clueless man.

"Rest." She whispered crawling up the stairs. _Also a vacuum_. She cried to herself, by that time Thursday she would be childless.

"Alright, I'll bring you up some chicken broth later." He said looking to her oddly before making his way over to the kitchen. She rolled her eyes, he still couldn't understand his daughter was a vegetarian and wouldn't eat the offended soup.

Sam threw herself down on the bed, letting heavy sobs rack her body. She never felt worse in her life. She ignored her father hours later as he attempted to bring her something to keep down and ended up crying herself to sleep an hour later.

"_Mommy! Mommy! Look what I can do! LOOK!" The little girl screamed as she kicked her legs hard, pulling the swing to the top before jumping off. Sam watched happily as she flew through the air and headed towards the ground, but before she hit it she went intangible and phased through._

"_Lilith! Where did you go?" She called softly looking behind her to see Danny walking towards her._

"_MOMMY! MOMMY!" The screams were loud and laced with terror._

"_LILITH!" She screamed panic setting in._

"_HELP ME!" Sam's gaze shot up and set on an image of Skulker holding her five year old in a green net. _

"_Danny." She said turning to find the child's father, he was already in ghost form and preparing to take off._

"_I'm on it." He said shooting towards the sky._

_It seemed like hours since he had left her there to worry. The sky had darkened and rain poured from the heavens. She was soaked, but still refused to move. The sky remained clear of both her child and husband. It was only minutes until Danny came into view. He looked gravely injured and as he took on his human form once more she could see the hurt and sorrow in his eyes._

"_Sam. I'm so sorry." He said, tears cascading down his face and welling in her own._

"_NO! LILITH!" She screamed falling to her knees and holding Danny close as he embraced her tightly. Trying to offer any and all comfort._

"SAM? Sam wake up, honey." A female voice broke through her world and sent the sky falling around her. As she opened her eyes she was faced with a blurry image of her parents looking to her oddly. She noticed tears cascaded freely down her cheeks as they looked her over, fear in their eyes.

"Are you alright?" Her dad asked as she wiped her face clear from the salty liquid and managed to glimpse at the clock. It was only one twenty four in the morning. The dark sky outside only confirmed this.

"Fine. I'm fine." She whispered trying to collect herself and make sense of her dream.

"You sure?" Her mother pressed pulling her robe closer to her body before taking a seat on the bed and carefully placing a reassuring touch on her shoulder. She was surprised when she didn't pull away and instead smiled at the action. Sometime in the past week mother and daughter had become slightly closer, but were still miles apart.

"Yeah, I just had a bad dream." She managed to get out. Her parents meant well, really they did. She only now recently started to understand that. All a parent ever wanted was just the best for the life they created.

"Do you-do you want to talk about it?" She tried pushing her luck, but wasn't surprised when Sam shook her head no.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for waking me up."

"Anytime dear. We're just down the hall if you need us." Her dad said turning to leave the room, his wife hot on his heels.

"Good night, Sammy." She said grabbing the door knob to close it. "I mean…Sam." It came out as a whisper, but Sam heard it loud and clear.

She closed her eyes and rolled over onto her back. What did her dream mean? She had always wanted a daughter named Lilith. Soft delicate features, a smile so bright it could make any Goth reconsider. Of course there was a high chance of her child having ghost powers, especially if he or she took after Danny. Her friend Lilith was only a constant reminder that it was possible for a child to be born and live a normal life with said gift. So why not her own?

Her eyes flew open and she stared at the dark ceiling, her mind was playing with her, much like her body was doing. Giving her a child and taking it away. The hot tears burned behind her eyes and she turned on her side. She only wished she could tell her mother the truth. She needed someone to confide in. Someone to tell her it wasn't the end of the world, to let her know no matter what she was still needed and loved. It was a time like this, the Goth needed her mother. But knew it wasn't worth it, once uttering she was pregnant her mother would flip out and go nuts. Sam would never even get the chance to tell her the child was never going to be born.

"Mom? Shit…I mean…" The voice was soft, just a whisper and Sam was more than positive she was still sleeping. "Sam. Hey Sam." This time the voice was louder, more sure of itself. She could feel the bed shaking beneath her and slowly opened her eyes to see…herself?

"Wha-?" She questioned trying to rub the sleep from her vision. She looked at the intruder once more and found her friend Lilith looking at her oddly.

"Morning." She said handing her a piece of dry toast. "Your parents said I could come and get you up for school." She said, her face looking to her oddly. "And this is for um…" She pointed to Sam's middle and stumbled over the word. "Junior, there."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Sam said crawling out of bed and making her way to the bathroom. Lilith listened as Sam emptied her guts into the toilet before flushing it and brushing her teeth. She was frankly surprised there was anything left in her stomach to dispose of, she hadn't eaten since the night before last. Well over twenty-four hours of an empty stomach shouldn't have resulted in so much vomit.

"You'll have to eat something soon. Your dad said you didn't eat last night." Lilith muttered through the door, placing the plate of toast on a nearby nightstand.

"And I don't need to either." Sam muttered opening the door to look through her closet for some clothes. "I'm not going to school this morning." Lilith looked to her shocked.

"You're not?" She questioned, it was another day she would miss. The twelfth this month alone. The second in the week and it was only Tuesday.

"No, I have an appointment with a specialist at ten." Sam said grabbing a black pair of jeans and a large baggy shirt.

"Is everything alright?" Lilith asked, fear set into her very being. It appeared her worst nightmare was coming true.

"Yeah…the baby's…" Lilith watched as her shoulder's dropped and sorrow quickly became etched on her face. "The baby's dead." She said, quickly wiping at the tears before heading back for the bathroom to change.

"Sam…I'm so sorry." She whispered, and she truly was. She didn't want to believe it was really happening. Her older sibling had died before it even got to live. This would pull Danny and her mother apart, forcing Sam to go looking for none other than Richard Hayes.

"It's alright, something's weren't meant to be." Sam got out from behind the closed door. It was silent for a while before the door flew open and Sam looked to the teen tiredly. "How did your mother's pregnancy go? I mean, with her being a teen mom and having a ghost baby?"

Lilith looked to her and shrugged she had no clue, she was hoping her mother would be able to offer her answers now.

"It's just the situation is almost identical…and maybe she could offer me some help." Sam said looking to the girl lost and in need of help.

"I don't think my mom would be of much help." She watched as Sam's face fell, defeated. "It's just, she's never home. I haven't seen her in a while. She's on some business trip or something." Sam nodded in understanding and Lilith silently wished she had all the answers to the girl's questions.

"Alright, I'm heading to the doctors now. If you could do me a favor and pick up my homework…"

"Yeah, sure no problem. I'll swing by tonight with it." Lilith said getting up from her spot on the bed and making her way for the door. "Good luck, call me if you need to talk." Sam nodded her head and with the Lilith was gone.

"What am I gonna do?" She asked her reflection. A sudden chill passed through her body and she reached for her black trench coat before exiting her room and heading to the her appointment.

**You guys are amazing and make me feel awesome about my writing. It's because of you I have finally gotten the strength and confidence to actually start writing a novel of my very own. The continous support means more than words can describe. Just please keep reading and enjoying, and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read my stories and leave your reviews. It makes my day.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

Sam came home, her heart fluttering with life. Another ultra sound had revealed the best news she could ever hear. A false negative! Her baby was strong and healthy. The female specialist had rushed her into one of the rooms and taken an ultra sound immediately only to find a faint heartbeat beneath the teenage mothers. Sam had nearly lost her breath as she stared at the grainy image of the life Danny and she created.

She walked in through her front door with a large smile on her face, nothing could ruin her day. Not even a visit from Plasmius from whatever useless asteroid he was stuck on. For the first time in a while the Goth was carefree and happy, only now realizing how important her child was to her.

She carelessly entered the living room and stopped short, her father looked at her, anger and disappointment covered his face. Her mother was facing her direction, but was looking past her. Lost in her own world. She gave them both an odd look before her father motioned for her to enter the room. She took a seat on the chair across from them and wondered what was going on. A sick feeling entered the pit of her stomach and she tried to calm herself down as panic set in. She needed to remain calm; she couldn't risk stressing the baby out and possibly endangering its life. Not after learning it was still alive and well.

"Samantha." He said her name tiredly, exhaling it with his breath. "We know what's going on." She looked at them confused, hoping playing dumb was going to work, believing they really didn't know the full story. Unfortunately it didn't seem to go the way she hoped.

"Does Daniel know dear?" Her mother asked softly, their eyes meeting for the first time in the past few days since the 'incident', as she personally called it.

"Know about what?" She asked. Fear rising in her being as a nauseated feeling rose to the back of her throat, burning her esophagus on the way up.

"That you're carrying his child." Her father got out, clearly fighting with himself to maintain a controlled tone. Sam shook her head, not understanding how they knew. Tears filled her eyes, but she kept them from falling. She had just found out her baby wasn't dead; she wasn't going to lose her joyous mood so quickly.

"The doctor called sweetie, she left a message." Her mother said answering her unspoken questions and producing her cell phone from her pocket. Sam silently cursed herself, she knew she forgot it, but never knew how important it was to go back for it until now.

"You listened to my messages?" She spat out, hurt and betrayal ruled her tone.

"We only did it because we were worried something was wrong that you weren't telling us." Her father answered, he seemed more level headed now than a moment ago.

"Sammy, why didn't you tell us?" Her mother asked, her face falling, a sore expression crossed her features.

"I didn't think you would understand. I thought you'd disown me." She whispered, refusing to look at them. "I figured if I could wait until I was eighteen there would be nothing you could do."

"Sammykins," her father spoke up. "You are our only child. We love you. Nothing you could do would make us want to disown you. You're all we have besides each other."

She looked him in the eyes, seeking for truth behind the statement. These couldn't have been her parents, they had to be overshadowed. No way in hell the parents who longed to change her not only two years ago, were now accepting the biggest secret she had ever kept from them. They both looked at her, sincere in their declarations as they looked her over.

"Who are you guys? What have you done with my parents?" She asked nearing hysterics and disbelief.

"Sammy, we are your parents." Her mother got out ever so softly, not in the least surprised by her daughter's response.

"Maybe your mother should explain." Her father said, taking his wife's hand for support and nodding for her to continue on.

"When I was sixteen, I was not that much different from you." She laughed slightly when Sam's eyes grew wide in shock. "That's why I was so hard on you, Sammy, because I didn't want you to be just like me. I thought if I tried to change you, you wouldn't go through the things I went through."

"Mission accomplished mom." She said motioning to her slightly bloated stomach that resided under an old large shirt of Danny's.

"No, I still failed you." She muttered, lowering her head, unable to look her at her daughter's bewildered expression. "You see, when I was sixteen I fell in lust with a boy my age. I thought it was love so I was willing to give myself to him fully." Sam looked to her father who only nodded his head in agreement. "I got pregnant, he left me and my mother kicked me out of the house."

"Your parents disowned you?" She asked softly, she had always thought her grandparents on her mother's side died years before she was born.

"Only too quickly. Well, I was alone, a first time mother, a high school drop-out and only sixteen."

"What happened?" Sam pressed, never knowing her mother had a history, as far as she was concerned both her parents had a spotless and terrific past.

"I miscarried before I could reach the end of the second trimester." She watched helplessly as tears streamed down her mother's face. Her father wrapping the love of his life in his embrace and holding her close, rubbing her back in a form of comfort.

"Later, your mother and I met." Her dad continued. "We vowed to never do that to our child. We only hoped you would be different."

"But, Sammy, understand we love you. We would never disown you. I would NEVER want someone to go through what I was forced through. Especially my own daughter." Sam now found tears falling down her eyes as her mother moved from her father's embrace and brought her into one instead.

Sam leapt forward, her arms hugging her mother tightly as the tears poured from her eyes. She silently cursed her hormones, but thanked God for her parents understanding. The sweet strawberry scent of her mother's perfume made her stomach turn and she quickly pulled away, ending the sweet embrace.

Her parents watched in horror as she ran down the hall and into the kitchen. She emptied her stomach and was shocked when she felt someone pull her hair back and stroke her back softly. Whispering the softest cooing sounds to comfort her.

"Does Daniel know?" Her father asked once she had stopped retching and was able to make her way over to the kitchen table as to not fall from her wobbly legs.

"No, not yet."

"You plan on keeping it, yes?" Her mother asked hesitantly, wanting to know her daughter's intentions, but not sure of her reaction. She knew from experience the hormones could be an emotional rollercoaster.

"Yes!" She got out possessively, placing her bare hand over her mid-section.

"Oh, thank God." Her father got out, throwing his hand over his heart and letting out a deep sigh of relief. She didn't know what her parents were thinking, but was happy to learn they didn't want her getting rid of her child. She looked to her mother who shook her head in agreement. It was at this moment she was silently happy her parents were so close minded. This was one argument she was not going to protest with them about.

"It's your baby Samantha." Her mother said placing a hand on her shoulder. "You decided you were old enough to engage in a sexual relationship, then you are old enough to deal with the consequences of said decision." Her mother said, raising a nod from Sam.

"However, you WILL tell Daniel as soon as possible that you are carrying his child." Her dad said, raising his tone like a disciplinary would. "If Daniel longs to stay with you and raise this child, we will make arrangements for a wedding." Her eyes shot to her father once more, unable to believe he was suggesting such a thing. "BUT, if he doesn't, you will be going your Aunt's house in Maine where you will have the baby in peace and quiet."

Sam opened her mouth to protest this time, but was cut short by her mother speaking up.

"After the baby is born, you can make the choice to return home with the baby, live there, or…"She struggled harshly with the next word. "Adoption.

"No." Sam said dryly. "This is my baby, I want to raise it. With or without Danny." She muttered the last part softly, unable to imagine life without him.

"Sammykins." Her dad said walking to stand next to his wife and before his daughter. "You are our only child, you are the world to your mother and myself. Though we feel hurt and betrayed by your actions…"She flinched, the guilt far worse than any punishment could ever offer. "We love you and would do anything for you…and this baby. Whatever happens, whatever you decide…we are here for you."

Sam looked up to lock eyes with her father, then gazed over to her mother, unable to believe they were being almost cavalier about it. She never once doubted her parents love for her, but knew they thought different than she did. Their words only made her feel all the more loved, knowing her baby was being welcomed into the family.

"Sammy," Her mother said standing to her feet. "We love you, you should never be afraid to tell us something, especially as important as this." Sam stood and allowed her parents to embrace her in a hug. For the first time in years she felt like a kid again, as if the hateful world was so far away and mommy and daddy were going to protect her from anything going to harm her. It was in this moment she understood being a mother, and was glad she had such great role models to mold her for her future baby.

"Now," Her mother said pulling away tears in her eyes. "Do we know if it's a boy or a girl, yet?" Sam shook her head 'no' before smiling softly. "No matter, let us know once you tell Daniel." Her mother tucked her hand under her chin and lifted it slightly.

She didn't want to tell them about the scare she had, afraid it would bring up too many old memories and fears for her mother. She also now knew her child was safe and alive. Sam looked down to the picture in her hand and placed it on the table, watching her mother's eyes light up as she looked the black and white photo over. Her father stared down at it as well, pride on his face.

She didn't want to tell Danny yet, she wanted to make sure her baby was a hundred percent before informing him of the news. If her mother had problems was her baby in the second term, and she herself was entering the next term with her own child, she knew telling Danny only to lose the baby would devastate him. That is if he wanted it. If he didn't, it would only devastate her, and she didn't need that now. She needed to think positive and not stress her child out.

"When is your next appointment?" Her mother asked softly, a smile bright on her face as she stared at the photo of her future grandchild.

"Umm…next Monday at four." Sam said, still floored by her parents reaction to it all. Part of her still believed she was in a dream and she would wake up to the nightmare she expected her parents to be.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to go with." Her mother said handing her the photo back.

"I'd like that, but Lilith has already asked, and I can only have one person there at a time." Her mother looked hurt by the statement, but quickly recovered. "The next one after that, you can come."

Her mother nodded happily before they exited the kitchen, leaving Sam alone with her thoughts. That was not what she had expected, but was glad nonetheless. She didn't want her baby growing up without them in her life, she wanted them to be there for her every step of the way. Her baby deserved nothing less.

**Well that was chapter 12, short I know, but I just wanted to get her parents reaction about the news out. The next chapter probably won't be up until next week. I had sort of a mini vacation from work and have to go back tomorrow.**

**Please check out my new story entitled 'Prey for the Hunted', it's a little darker than I'm used to writing, but I'm very passionate about the concept of it and would love feedback. **

**As always, thank you guys so much for taking time to read my story and review it. It's the kind words that keep me focused and positive enough to continue on. My writing is the only place I feel so safe and sound. Its my own private world where I can play God and not have to worry about the world outside of my pages of thought.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**AND PLEASE CHECK OUT 'Prey for the Hunted.'**


	13. Chapter 13

Sam looked over to Lilith at her side. She had taken the girl up on her offer and allowed her to join the mother on her doctor's adventure. She needed a friend, someone to tell her it was going to be alright, even if they didn't believe it. She didn't think she could handle her parents at the moment. The night before she had went off on her father because he kept asking when she was going to tell Danny. Thankfully he didn't pry much further after her outburst, but knew her attitude was due to raging hormones.

Truth be told, she hadn't told Danny yet because she was scared. She didn't want to believe in a fairy tale world where they'd live happily ever after, especially if he denied her and the baby. She'd be crushed, devastated even. She wanted to be sure her baby was healthy and fine before even uttering a word. She was barely out of the woods with the first trimester, though it was the worse, according to people, with her mother's past the second would be the real deal breaker.

Lilith looked up from the magazine she had been reading and looked over to the fidgeting girl.

"Did you know when you hear a baby crying, your nipples will let milk out?" Sam looked over to her, ready to burst out laughing at her friend's disgusted gaze as she self-prodded her breasts, almost cautious as if she would start lactating any minute. "Don't worry Sam, it's going to be alright." She said gently placing a free hand on her knee. Sam looked down, unaware her feet had been moving anxiously at their own rate.

"I know. It's just after hearing what my mom went through..."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Lilith looked down to her watch, both girls sitting in the comfortable silence, only to jump up when Sam's name was called by a nurse who stood at attention in a nearby doorway.

Quietly, both girls got up and followed the nurse behind the door and down a small hallway. Lilith looked at the random doors that lined the walls and felt a chill creep through her. Only this wasn't her 'ghost' chill, no this was an eerie, freaked out, kind of chill. They came to a halt at the end of the hall where the nurse took Sam's temperature, weight and height measurements.

"You've lost eight pounds." She whispered scribbling it down on her clipboard.

"Is that bad?" Sam questioned.

"No, could just be because of the morning sickness. If you haven't gained anything by the middle of next month, then I would start to worry." Both girls nodded in understanding before following her into one of the rooms.

"So, you've finished up your first trimester right?" The blonde questioned, taking her blood pressure and listening to her pulse.

"Yes."

"Well, that's good. That was the worst part for me." She whispered softly, a giggle passing her lips. "Allergic to any medications?" Sam shook her head no. "Alright, I'll have Doctor Morris in here in a few."

With that the woman left the teens behind in the cold room. They remained in utter silence, almost afraid to break it. Sam constantly looked the room over, cringing when she saw the forceps had been taken out. She gulped heavily and silently prayed she had brought her mother with her instead. Lilith looked just as nervously at the tools on the counter before taking in a deep shaky breath.

The door opened suddenly, causing Lilith to nearly jump out of her skin and relax rather forcefully on the wall behind her. Sam smiled softly, surprised a sudden noise happened to scare the ghost girl.

"Well, good morning Ms. Manson." He said looking to her with a small smile on his lips. "I understand a mistake was made on my behalf." He said, never once looking up from his chart as he made his way over to stool in the corner. "Sorry about that, I must have given you quiet a scare." He now dropped his manila folder onto the counter and turned carelessly on his seat to look at both Goth girls, unaware there was another occupant of the room until now. He smiled at Lilith softly; she merely looked to him in a judging manner.

"Yes, I was actually devastated." She whispered softly, placing her hand over her midsection. Not wanting to lose the being inside and willing to do anything to keep it alive.

"Yes, well, again I am sorry." He said standing to his feet and placing latex gloves on his hands before coming up behind her to look down her throat and in her ears. Lilith remained still as the older gentleman examined her mother, her own tears threatening to spill.

This was all real. It was actually happening. She had been replaced by a new child, someone her mother already loved more than life itself. She couldn't help but feel useless and wonder when her end would come.

"Alright, everything seems fine." He said throwing his gloves in the trash and going back to his computer. "So, I've made an appointment for you in about thirty minutes downstairs. We will get an ultrasound and possibly see what little junior in there is up to." He chuckled at his own joke before clicking random buttons with his mouse. "So, from what I can calculate, you should be due in late October, early November." Sam looked over, a smile on her face. The Goth part of her enjoying the fact she may have a Halloween baby.

This news only made Lilith all the more sick to her stomach. She herself shared the birthday with the holiday, and though she enjoyed it, too much for her own good, she knew it would soon no longer be hers, but instead that of the new child. She would be replaced by this child with everything.

"Any questions?"

"Is it alright to engage in sexual activities while I'm pregnant?" She asked slightly ashamed. Lilith felt a heat creep up to her cheeks and an urge to gag rise with it.

"A growing sexual appetite is normal and I see no reason why you should take any precautions." Sam nodded vigorously as a smile spread across her lips. "Now no two pregnancies are the same, the best answers you can get though are probably from your mother. Seeing as how in some studies they are slightly similar." Sam nodded as Lilith looked green and in need of a barf bag.

"Thank you doctor." Lilith got out, feeling the sudden urge to leave the room.

"Alright, Samantha you and your friend her can head on downstairs."

Both girls got up only too quickly and made their way to the lower level. Butterflies in both their stomachs. As they reached the lower level Sam rushed off to the bathroom while Lilith signed her in and bought a small bag of candy from the vending machine. She smiled softly when Sam great fully took it from her and downed it. Her mother had told her that while pregnant she had craved skittles like crazy and was forced to push aside the animals used to make it.

"I feel awful for eating these." Sam said sticking a red skittle into her mouth.

"You're gonna have to leave behind your veganism." Lilith stated and wasn't shocked when Sam looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Why?"

"You need the protein in meat to support the baby's development. My mom had to give it up."

"Did she go back?"

"Almost immediately. I've actually never eaten anything from an animal in my entire life." Sam looked the girl over and smiled, admiring her mother's dedication.

"I want to be like that." Sam said proudly and Lilith only smiled and nodded. If it wasn't her growing in there then she was going to do all she could to make the child just like her.

"Ms. Manson." The voice called out and brought both girls back to reality.

"Come on." Sam said stretching her hand out, implying she wanted Lilith to follow her.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Once they were in the dark room Sam lifted her shirt so her stomach was fully exposed. Lilith sat back and watched as the cold gel was placed on her mother's stomach and a white wand was roaming about freely over the skin. The room was silent until the small monitor was turned on and black and white streaks filled the screen.

"Nervous?" Lilith asked, failing to see what the technician was fiddling with.

"Terrified." Sam admitted.

"Ms. Manson, how far along are you?" The woman asked softly, pushing down on the teen's stomach roughly with the wand.

"I just entered my second trimester a few days ago." She replied looking to the screen and was shocked to see it didn't match her previous scan.

"How strange." The blonde muttered under her breath.

"What is?" Lilith asked looking to the woman cautiously.

"Well, I don't see a baby in here. Not even the sound of a heartbeat. It appears as if you were never pregnant."

Lilith watched shocked as Sam looked to the grainy images of nothing. Her eyes watering as nothing appeared to change. The technician pushed a few buttons before removing the wand and cleaning Sam's stomach from the mess she made. Both girls watched as she silently made her way to the other side of the room and typed away on her personal computer. Not a word was spoken amongst them.

"I'm gonna send these up to your doctor and have them get back to you just as soon as they can."

Lilith exited the doctor's office with Sam. She looked a mess, not understanding what was going on. She was silent the whole way home, the only time she did speak was when she asked Lilith what her own mother went through. As always she had no answers, her mother and her hadn't really talked in years. Every time she recalled their last real conversation she felt anger, hate and resentment towards the woman.

Sam took in her surroundings in silence. She didn't know how she was going to break this to her parents. They had only just accepted the idea, now to deal with this…she didn't know what they would do. Something had to be wrong, there was no way her baby could be there one minute and gone the next. Unless…

"Drop me off at Danny's please." Sam spoke up for the first time since leaving the doctor's.

"Alright." Lilith said looking over to her oddly, taking a hard left at the light instead of going straight, nearly causing an accident. "What do you have on your mind?"

"Nothing, I just need to see Danny." She lied, not yet ready to verbalize her thoughts. Lilith nodded once again before bringing the car to a stop outside Danny's house.

"Do you need me to pick you up later?" Lilith questioned, knowing she would have to return the car to the girl sometime.

"Yeah, I'll call you." She said heading up the stairs as Lilith drove off down the street.

_You've been replaced. You are nothing. She's going to have this baby and you will be forced to die, just like you should have been all those years ago. Don't you see? The correction that was supposed to be made was you. You were the mistake that was supposed to be avoided. And now that the wrong has been righted, you will cease to exist._

The voices were constant, nagging at her ever since she heard about Sam's pregnancy. Lilith pulled the car over to the side of the road and lowered her head into her hands. The tears streamed down her face as guilt and fear took over her.

_She never wanted you. You are nothing to her, now that she has the baby she wants you'll start to fade away. You were never meant to be. You're such a fool, sent here to stop your own existence and didn't even know it. Only you could be that clueless._

Lilith let out a loud scream, slamming her fists hard on the steering wheel before her. So much so she was surprised the airbag wasn't deployed. Her gaze shot to the visor above her and she pulled the flap down, looking at her sad reflection. There, staring back at her were not her baby blue eyes, nor were they her green ones either. Instead they were the very same ones she had seen the night before she came to two-thousand seven.

They matched the same intensity and color as the ones that had looked back at her from her shattered mirror. The fiery red bore into her soul and all she saw was darkness, hate and emptiness.

"I am nothing." She whispered to her own reflection, her sorrow filled face turned into a devilish smile before disappearing all together. She blinked back furiously, her hands roaming her face for the one that was there only seconds ago. Her baby blues looked at her lost and confused. "What the hell was that?" She asked the silence before starting the car back up and heading towards her hotel room. It appeared there was more to herself then she knew.

**Hey guys sorry for the delay, I went to Calico Ghost Town last weekend and then Vegas so I was so not up for writing. Um…hopefully I will have a new chapter up next week. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing makes my day and keeps me going.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

Sam knocked heavily, her fist feeling like lead as it pounded on the wooden door. She shifted in her spot as she waited, anticipating for someone to answer and grant her a brief moment of sanity. Her free hand unconsciously hovered over the small bloated area that held her most treasured belonging. She looked into one of the windows adjacent to the stoop, hoping the one person she wanted to see was home. Her breath caught in her lungs when the knob turned and the door opened to reveal a petite red head.

"Sam?" She asked softly, looking to the teen confused.

"Jazz, please I need your help." She blurted out faster than her lips could move and wasn't surprised when Jazz looked to her confused over the mess of words escaping in a loud clutter. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and her mind ran in different directions. Frankly, she was tired and scared.

"What?" She asked softly moving out of the doorway to make room for the girl.

"Are your parents here?" She asked slowly, taking a deep breath and making sure to annunciate each word as to avoid repetition.

"No, they left on their second honeymoon yesterday." She stated matter-of-factly. Sam felt her hand leave her stomach and make contact with her head, she should have known that. Danny had been complaining the better part of the week about how he was stuck with Jazz while his parents left to rendezvous in the Bahamas. Jazz had been home for spring break from her college and was using her time to both babysit and bond with her brother, of which Danny wanted neither.

"I have a secret to tell you, one I need you to promise to keep." Sam said looking to the twenty year old, desperation covered her features.

"Sure, Sam…what is it?" The young woman look confused, but also intrigued and hung onto every word as if it alone could cure the world of all illnesses.

"I'm pregnant…and so confused." She blurted out once making sure they were in fact alone.

"Oh." She stated cavalierly as if she had commented on the weather and motioned to have a picnic outdoors. "Wait. What?" It finally sunk in and as Jazz looked the girl over anger crossed her features. "I'm gonna kill Danny." Her hand tightened into a fist and her facial features furrowed in unadulterated anger.

"No Jazz. He doesn't know yet." Sam said reaching her hand out to her and pulling her away from the door. She needed to break through to the young woman and help her see the problem was elsewhere and not where she was currently focusing.

"Why not?" Jazz asked her anger subsided slightly and confusion arose when she locked eyes with the dark girl. She was positive she would be one of the last to find out, not the first; yet here the teenage mother stood not inches from her and seeking help.

Why shouldn't she murder Danny? It was his fault Sam was in her predicament, she had told him numerous times to use a condom. She had even gone the extra mile as to place several boxes under his bathroom sink so he would be sure to take one with him when needed. She had saved him the embarrassment of having to purchase them and instead took it upon herself. Not only did he fail her in keeping things safe, but had also failed Sam. They were too young to be parents. How in the world were they going to juggle parenthood and a higher education? Would they even seek a higher education now?

"That's where I need your help. I've been to the doctors three times in the past week and a half. Two out of those three times the doctors told me my baby was dead." Jazz's eyes went wide in shock as the news hit her harder than the first. Her baby was dead? How was it Sam looked so hopeful? Did she not want the child? Would she tell Danny, or leave it an unspoken page in her life? And what did she mean two out of three times the baby was pronounced dead?

"And the other time?"

"That's just it, the other time they told me it was healthy and alive. They are at a loss and so am I."

"So, what can I do to help?" She swallowed hard. Not understanding why the girl who had once pushed her away when offering help to Danny was now pleading for assistance of her now. She only hoped she could help, and quite possibly save both mother and child from a terrible fate.

"Well, you _are_ studying to practice medicine, and you know a lot about ghosts. Considering this is Danny's baby…"

"There's a fifty percent chance this baby could have inherited his ghost DNA." Jazz said as realization hit her. "You want me to help you out?" Sam nodded vigorously. "I'm honored, but I'm only _studying_ medicine. A brain surgeon is what I want to be no less. I don't think I'd be qualified to help even if I had a doctorate." Sam's face fell at this and Jazz couldn't help but feel like a failure.

Sam never asked anything of her, and now she came to her begging for help with an unborn life. She could at least try and help, who knows maybe if all went well she could publish a paper on it. That would definitely help her get to her doctorate a lot quicker.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Jazz whispered, her voice making her sound weak and vulnerable. She felt obligated to help even if she didn't see a way in which she could. She was, however, determined to do anything she deemed necessary.

"Really?" Sam asked, a smile gracing her face for the first time since she had arrived.

"Why not? I mean, it is my future niece or nephew in there right? What kind of an aunt would I be if I didn't start helping out now?" Both girls shared a warm smile before Jazz headed down towards the lab. Sam followed behind her quietly.

"Ok, let's see, what do we have here?" Sam sat on a nearby chair while Jazz picked through useful and useless inventions her parents had made. "Let's try this." She said holding up a small box with a screen and a long handle attached.

"What is that?" Sam asked looking at the odd contraption.

"I'm not exactly sure, but Danny told me it had sonar built in, I guess it's to hear for ghosts. It's the best we got." She said placing it on the table and walking to the corner to wash her hands in the newly obtained sink. The basement had undergone quiet a transformation once Danny's secret was known. Their parents had made the basement into a more high tech lab with the help of Tucker. They knew their son needed all the help and advanced opportunities there was to be offered and thus fore got to work on building him a work area he could feel comfortable in.

"Better than nothing." Sam said shrugging; silently hoping it worked and gave them what they needed.

"Ok, lie down on the table." She said happily clearing the nearby surface and pulling out a stack of paper and a pen before rolling the chair next to Sam. "Lift your top." Sam looked to the girl awkwardly before lifting her top slightly, exposing her full stomach to the child's future aunt. Jazz took in a sharp breath of air and gasped softly, the image of her exposed and slightly bloated skin made the situation all too real. There really was a child growing in there, or so it seemed. "Here goes nothing."

"It's freezing." Sam muttered as the metal object made contact with her bare skin.

"Let me turn it on and let's listen in." Jazz said flipping the switch, in a matter of seconds a loud thumping filled the room. Jazz smiled as Sam's heart rate popped up on the screen, a steady rhythmic line moved up and down on the small monitor. She appeared to be calm and collective. Before Jazz had time to hit another button a second steady line appeared, it was faster than the first, but from the sounds of it, it was much fainter. "Sam?" Jazz asked, surprise in her eyes, astonishment as she increased the volume so she could hear for herself.

"What is that?" Sam asked looking to the redhead.

"That would be the heartbeat of your baby."

"It's alive?" Sam asked, tears once again threatening to fall. _Damn hormones_.

"Not only is it alive, it sounds healthy. There's no way this is the machine." Jazz said happily looking to the young mother.

"JAZZ? Are you home?" A male voice pulled the eldest girl away from the miraculous moment. "OH NO! Danny's home."

"What?" Sam asked trying to cover her stomach and move the machine away once again.

"Sam don't." Jazz said placing the machine back in its original spot.

"Are you kidding me? Danny's here, I can't let him see me like this. Not yet."

"Listen." Jazz spat out, causing Sam cease in her movement and listen closely.

"What is it?"

"The machine is still on, but I don't hear the baby's heartbeat anymore." Both girls locked eyes as the only sound in the room was their breathing and Sam's lone amplified heartbeat.

"What happened to the other one?"

"I'm not sure." She said looking the screen over and finding nothing. She pushed a few buttons and shifted the makeshift wand around on the exposed skin, hoping to catch onto the image once more, but failed. Loud foot falls followed by the slamming of an upstairs door indicated Danny was up in his room and was no longer a threat to them. "Let me see."

"Hurry, Danny's coming." Sam got out, her heart rate speeding up as anticipation kicked in. It would only be a matter of seconds before he burst through the door and asked what they were doing. And then she'd have to tell him. Explain the whole complicated ordeal, facing both her fears and quite possibly her doubts.

"No he's not, he's upstairs. I heard the door slam shut." Jazz said writing something down on a piece of paper that rested atop a small stack at her side.

"Thank God." Sam said letting out a heavy breath. Within an instant, as Sam's heart rate was dropping, the faint sound of another could be heard again.

"What the-" She questioned looking back at the screen; sure enough both lines were back and constant.

"What is it?" She asked looking over to her. Jazz had an idea, it was a long shot, but worth looking into.

"I think Danny's coming back." She said quickly, putting as much belief into the statement as possible. Just before Sam ripped the machine off and sat up Jazz saw just the one heart line. "Lie down!" Jazz said shoving the machine back onto her stomach, she could only hear Sam's beating.

"Are you crazy? Danny could find out."

"He's not coming."

"What the hell, Jazz?" She was clearly growing frustrated with the game she was playing and mentally pleaded for it to end. She couldn't take anymore yo-yo emotions, it was bad enough her hormones were going haywire.

"Don't you see? When you're stressed or your heart rate is elevated the baby ceases to have a heart beat at all. But when you're calm…" Sam relaxed listening as Jazz explained her theory. Soon the room was once again filled with the light beating. "…You can hear the baby's." She was smiling now as she scribbled notes down.

"Why would my stress level affect the baby's?" Sam asked carefully removing the machine. Happy there was an explanation and her baby was still alive and growing.

"I don't know, but I have a theory."

"I'm open for any and all suggestions." Sam said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well think about it like this, if the baby _is_ part ghost it's going to need to survive on basic natural instinct. If you are stressed in anyway the baby is going to feel threatened and find a way to protect itself. It's my theory that it finds the way by going ghost, and since ghosts don't have a heartbeat, his or hers ceases to exist. That is until your calm once again, the baby no longer feels stressed and relaxes as well, returning to its vulnerable and human state."

"Makes sense." Sam said, hell, right now anything made sense. She knew next to nothing about a ghost baby.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to continue to work with you throughout the pregnancy. Any new developments could aide my notes. Plus open up a world nobody until now would ever know." Sam bit her tongue, she wanted to tell the girl there was another. But in doing that she would throw Lilith under the bus. Jazz would no doubt want to question the woman and Sam knew nothing about Lilith's parents, let alone who they even were. It was best just to let Jazz believe this was the first ghost baby ever.

"I'd like that." Sam said smiling. "If you're right I'm gonna need all the help I can get explaining this to Danny and your parents."

"I'm here for you, no matter what." Jazz said happily.

"JAZZ! ARE YOU DOWN HERE?" The voice called out. Jazz froze and looked behind her to see Danny staring at her.

"Hey little brother, what's up?"

"I thought I heard you. Who you talking to?" He asked looking at her oddly. Jazz looked him over before looking to the spot Sam sat in only to find it empty. She turned back to Danny to see his ghost sense go off and she could feel her own heart cease to beat. He immediately became protective and took a fighting stance as he scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary. "Is someone down here with you?"

"What? No. Of course not. Nope. Just me." She got out quickly, fear rising in her being as she tried to casually lean against a nearby table. Trying anything to take the intense gaze he was giving her away.

"Then who were you talking to?" He questioned, not buying into her white lie.

"Oh, just myself." She whispered looking to her nails, finding them suddenly interesting and in need of a manicure.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of losing your sanity." He stated a smug grin crossing his features as he seemed to push the presence of any ghost out of his mind when he noticed they were in fact alone. He watched as her gaze shot up to meet his and she offered him a frustrated look. He chuckled softly before speaking again, seeking an answer to his earlier burning question.

"Whatever. I'm gonna order a pizza, peperoni ok?" He asked holding up the phone.

"Sounds good." She said nodding her head.

"I'm also inviting Sam, Tucker and Lilith over, so I'm getting a veggie too." He said heading back up the stairs. The previous conversation and hint of a threat so far back in his mind he could have been oblivious to the world ending.

"Sam? Where are you?" Jazz said looking around curiously. It had been a close call, not only had Danny sensed a ghost, which she was sure was his future child, but he had also scared Sam so much that she found comfort in hiding then explaining what was going on.

"Up here." She called, Jazz looked up and saw Sam clinging to the ceiling. Terror rested in her eyes as she tried to grasp onto one of the awnings to keep her from her deadly fall back down. "Get me down."

"Ok, hold on, just don't panic." Jazz said taking off to find a ladder, smiling as she fled. Clearly this was going to be a very interesting pregnancy.

**Hey guys ok so that was my next chapter I promise Danny will find out about his baby not in the next chapter, but the one after that. All will be revealed and explained. Also I'm sort of taking a break from my other two fics, but hope to have them updated soon. The updates will just be a bit slower. Its just for a month or so. I'm selling my grandmother's house and between that and working almost 60 hours a week I'm exhausted stressed and in need of a small rest here and there. But I do promise to keep this one fic constantly updated and promise to get back to normal updates soon. **

**Thank you all for being patient with me an sticking with the stories, you all rock.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 15

**So my friend got a job working for Nickelodeon just last month, so excited for her because she has always loved doodling and is an amazing artist. Well yesterday I got a private tour of the facility and met a few of the artists who worked on Danny Phantom, Fairlyodd Parents and a few other cartoons from my childhood. It was amazing and such an honor. I did ask who I could talk to in regards to purchasing Danny Phantom so I could stop with the damn disclaimer, however, they told me share-holders, Butch Hartman and the company itself owned everything so me getting in on a piece of the action was never going to happen. Oh Well! The good news is I'm free to stop by anytime to visit my friend.**

**But unfortunately I still have to put up the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN Danny Phantom, and never will. :(**

Sam woke up that Saturday morning feeling strangely refreshed and overly content. She lay on her bed looking up at the ceiling nonchalantly when a sudden chill broke through her body. She dug herself deeper into the mattress before pulling her comforter over her body to keep warm. Her morning sickness had passed just a few days ago and it seemed her morning routine was slowly returning to normal; though one strange thing had been replaced by another. It appeared that with the progress of the baby's development she had begun to experience ghost like symptoms.

Just the previous night she had been talking to her parents about baby names and as her mother rattled some off she felt anger rise in her. Mid temper tantrum, as her father had called them years ago, her lower half went intangible, phasing her through the kitchen chair. Her parents were forced to do nothing but watch in awe stricken horror as their only daughter attempted to pull herself together. Once it had passed she had then explained the baby's 'unique differences' to other children. Her father only saw this as even more of a reason to tell the father, oddly, she had agreed. Only Danny could help her through the trying time, for nobody else knew what it was like to be half ghost, and surely she would need him around to teach their future child.

She reluctantly climbed out of bed and made her way towards the bathroom to shower, knowing she had the Saturday morning to greet her, made it only slightly easier, she needed a break from school and homework. The knowledge that soon she'd be graduating only put a strain on her already stressed out life. She stopped and looked her bloated stomach over in the mirror, sighing happily as her hands roamed over the warm skin and her mind played with the idea of it growing bigger in the months to come. She knew she had to tell Danny soon, it wouldn't be long until he figured it out on his own.

She knew Jazz was keeping it a secret, but didn't know how long she was good at it; especially when part of her wanted to rip Danny apart molecule by molecule for getting Sam and himself in the mess to begin with.

Sam reached into the shower and turned the water on, undressing as the water warmed up. Once she climbed inside she allowed her aching muscles to relax and enjoy the pressure of her massage shower head. She never realized how much her muscles ached until she relaxed, and promised to take a bath later in the evening. The water was so hot it left red marks on her skin, yet as she finished up she couldn't help but still feel the same chill rattling through her bones.

She let out a heavy breath and was surprised to see a blue mist escape. She was shocked as a slight burning sensation followed after it and wondered if it was the same as to how Danny felt it. She threw her hand over her mouth out of second nature and let the chill fade before wrapping herself in a towel. Once she entered her bedroom she found Lilith sitting nonchalantly on the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. Her eyes were puffy and she looked to have been crying, but before Sam could ask she spoke up.

"Hey, um…I just came by to say thanks." Sam cocked her head to the side as she slid on a mock silk black robe, tying it loosely around her waist.

"For what?" She wondered.

"For everything, for being a friend to me and introducing me to your friends. Treating me like one of you." Sam nodded in understanding, but still remained confused.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, my dad got offered a new job in California. We're heading out this weekend. You won't be seeing much of me after today." Sam looked the girl over, her heart aching at the fact of having to loose someone so close. In the past few months since arriving, Lilith had become the sister she never had, nor realized she ever wanted. She had entrusted her with her biggest secret and had not been steered wrong. Now to see her leaving it was as if she was losing a part of herself as well.

"Do you have to leave?" Sam asked slowly approaching the Goth. It was so sudden, she hadn't even mentioned her father getting a job transfer, let alone a move.

"Yeah, dad gets the final say." She lied looking her mother over. So young and full of life, perhaps with a much brighter future ahead of her now that both Richard and Lilith Hayes were out of her life for good.

"Tell Danny thanks, for everything. Without you guys helping me out, I doubt I would be able to control my ghost side." A tear streamed down her face and she turned to look out the window, desperate to hide any form of regret or sorrow from the one woman who knew what it looked like on her.

Sam walked over to her and embraced her gently, Lilith's own arms squeezed her mother close as tears cascaded down her face. She inhaled deeply, longing to remember the smell and feel of her mother for however long she would be alive. Sam squeezed her shoulder and both girls pulled back. Tears sat in their eyes, threatening to spill over. Lilith backed away and made her way back over towards the window.

"We'll keep in contact right?" Sam asked softly, hoping she wasn't really losing her best female friend for good.

"Of course we will." She lied. "I'll write as soon as we're set up in Cali."

"I'll keep you posted on the baby, I promise." Lilith nodded, though the thought of the baby made her sick, its existence alone was why she chose to leave now.

"Take care." And with that Lilith took off into the sky, leaving behind the mother that was no longer hers. She didn't dare stop by Tucker or Danny's. She had no physical connection with them like she did Sam, and knew seeing them would only make it harder to leave.

Sam watched as her friend became a distant speck in the sky before turning back to her room. A tear left her eye and she couldn't help, but wonder why Lilith had decided to leave on such short notice. Why hadn't she said anything before? Was there more behind what she said? Or was she just one of those people that found it hard to say 'good-bye'? She couldn't help, but wonder what truly lay underneath the cold farewell and only now needed someone to talk to.

She walked across the room and picked up her cell phone, dialing the all too familiar number. A few rings went off before a tired and muffled voice answered.

"Hello?" He sounded awful and quite possibly still asleep.

"Danny? It's Sam." She muttered softly, her heart racing a mile a minute. She hadn't really talked to him in the greater part of a week and had missed his voice, but the constant fear of her secret kept her from him.

"Sam?" He asked, his voice clearing up to show she now had his undivided attention. Shuffling was heard before he spoke again, only now sounding like the Danny she knew and loved. "What's up? How have you been? Is everything alright?"

He rattled off several questions, with each one he sounded more desperate then the last. He had been calling her nonstop all week, leaving message after message asking if he had done something wrong. That he was in love with her and apologized for anything he may have said or done to offend her. He had texted her asking for a response, begging for her to call him and let him know what was going on. Several times he had even come to the house, asking her parents if he could visit with her for just a moment, to prove to himself she was alive and well. All her mother had done was assured him of her health and asked him to return later in the week. Now as she sat on the phone in silence, feeling nothing but guilt and remorse, she knew she had to tell him everything.

"Sam?" He questioned, hoping she hadn't hung up on him.

"I'm here Danny." She whispered. "Look, we need to talk. Can you meet me in the park in say, an hour?"

"Is everything alright Sam?" He tried again.

"Please?" She begged.

"Yeah. Anything for you." He whispered seeming dissatisfied with her answer, but willing to give her the world if she asked for it. "In an hour right?"

"Yeah…oh, and Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"I really miss you." She let a tear escape and held her breath, hoping his answer would be the one she wanted to hear.

"I miss you too, Sam. So much." He sounded sincere and made her smile softly before hanging up.

Within the hour Danny would know everything, and like in a game of poker, she would let the chips fall where they may.

Lilith looked the park over one last time. She allowed the warm sun to hit her skin and closed her eyes, to enjoy the serene environment more. Wherever she was going she hoped it was a lot like this place. Quiet, filled with plants and a soft aroma of life.

She had been forced to leave Amity Park, her job was done and she was out of cash. Why she was still breathing was beyond her. Maybe Clockwork had forgotten about her and she was forever condemned to this time. Maybe he was waiting for her to figure in one last piece of the puzzle before the grim reaper would appear and take her to the hell she knew was waiting for her.

Whatever was going to happen next she was ready for it. She had no future, no mother nor a father. Her life was solely about her now, and if she lived it out then she would be sure to enjoy it more. If not, well then there was nothing to do, but accept her fate. She opened her eyes and found tears streamed freely, she was more scared then she was willing to admit. She longed for something to happen, anything.

"SAM!" Danny called out, spotting his prize across the park sitting by the fountain. She turned around and looked at him hopefully before he engulfed her in a deathlike embrace. She giggled softly and held him back just as tightly, hating herself for keeping them both apart for so long.

"Hey Danny." She whispered when he pulled her apart and placed a loving, but passionate kiss on her lips. "I missed you too."

"How have you been? Is everything ok? Whatever I did, I'm sorry." She laughed at this, but just as quickly as it arrived it faded. She had caused him more pain than she had intended and once again the remorseful feeling bitch slapped her across the face.

"I'm fine, Danny. I promise. You didn't do anything wrong." He looked at her confused, his head cocked to the side and his brows furrowed softly. Of course he was at a loss, for if she was fine and he did nothing wrong, why did she spend almost a week away from him? Why had she gone out of her way to avoid him at every turn? "I think I should explain."

Danny sat down next to her, silent and attentive as she had ever seen him. Whatever she had to say, he wanted to hear, and he was going to listen.

"AHHH!" A loud female scream pierced the silence and as Lilith looked up to her supposed attacker she found herself once again staring at the large dog like beast. His hand was cupped over her mouth to silence her, but he didn't make eye contact. Instead he searched the surrounding area intensely, before looking down to her and once again speaking in his own private language.

She shook her head not understanding and was shocked when she heard one word repeated clearly. She gathered this alone was his name as everytime he spoke it he motioned to himself.

"Wulf? Your name is Wulf?" She questioned and was rewarded with a lick to her cheek. His playful demeanor left quickly and he began speaking to her once more. "Wulf, I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're saying."

His face fell in disappointment, but before he could speak again she watched in terror as a green ectoplasmic ball flew out from behind them and wiped Wulf to the floor. He stood up on his hind legs, shaking off the attack before standing strong and protectively in front of Lilith. He meant to protect her, but from what she was unsure. Her heart pounded in her chest and she managed to steal a peek over the large guardian's shoulder, in hopes of catching their assailant. She had expected to see the grim reaper, ready to collect her soul, what she saw instead confused her to no end.

"DANNY! SAM!" The voice screamed, pulling the young couple out of their conversation before it could even began.

"Tucker?" Sam asked both frustrated and confused as she witnessed the techno geek running towards them, arms flaying in the air and terror in his eyes.

"Dude, what's the matter?" Danny asked as he relaxed his body in his knees and took in deep breaths. As he lifted his head to speak, both knew he hadn't come baring good news.

"Wulf…stopped by…my house…He was looking…for…Lilith." He got out through heavy gasps.

"What for?" Danny asked curiously.

"She's gone, she left to California this morning." Sam informed him.

"I don't know why, he just said he was supposed to protect her."

"From what?" Danny asked, unconsciously pulling Sam behind him, as if that alone could promise her safety.

"AHHH!" A loud scream pulled the trio apart and forced them to turn in the direction.

Wulf came flying out backwards out from behind a nearby bush, his body weak and slightly scratched. As he locked eyes with Danny he uttered one word before another blast followed out from the same direction, hitting him square in the chest. The three looked on horror stricken as his eyes became too heavy to keep open and they slowly fell closed. As his breathing began to grow shallow, he tiredly fought with his heavy limb to claw through to another dimension. With every last ounce of strength in his body he drug his limp form over to the gaping portal and disappeared from his friends. He needed to warn the one who sent him. Even if he died trying to get to them.

"What was that last word he spoke?" Sam asked Tucker while Danny took his battle stance and let out his signature cry.

"GOING GHOST!" He hoped he wasn't too late. He had to find the one responsible for Wulf's injuries and feared Walker had come back to return him to the Ghost Zone to serve out his time.

"EVIL." Tucker spoke softly, both confused and scared over its meaning.

"How sweet." The voice was deep, mocking them almost with every word he spoke.

Danny, Sam and Tucker gasped in horror at Wulf's attacker. Lilith rested in the other ghosts grip, terror and fear covered every part of her face. It seemed things were about to become overly confusing, as all three sought to win and an explanation.

**Ok that was chapter 15, I hope you all liked it. This story is almost done, but then again not quiet I would say another 4 or 5 chapters left, but I promise you in the next chapter Sam's secret will be revealed and in chapter 17 EVERYTHING will be explained. After that any questions left in the reviews will try and be answered by yours truly. I have tried to refrain from confirming or denying everyone's thoughts because I feel the suspense is what keeps bringing you all back.**

**So please review and thanks again for all the support, they only push me to write faster.**


	16. Chapter 16

Danny stood in his spot, his feet glued to ground as he witnessed the ghost before him rise from the ground and take to the sky. He hovered above them, seeking for all of Amity Park to gaze upon their new threat. Danny forced Sam behind him, hoping to protect her in any way. He was not going to get away with whatever he had planned, and had it not been for Lilith resting firmly in his grasp he would have been fighting his enemy. He knew only one thing for sure; _he had to get closer_, but doing so without Sam or Tucker following was going to be impossible.

Lilith had looked on horrified as the ghost that appeared before her took out Wulf only to grab her by the left arm, dragging her high above Amity Park. She struggled to break free of his hold the whole way up and even tried to go intangible, but something about him restricted her from using her powers. He smiled happily as he let the arm holding her fall incautiously to the side, bringing her at face level with his black boots. She looked up towards him and noticed his two canines had been filed down so he looked to be a vampire. His skin was a pasty blue, proving blood hadn't poured through his veins in years. Atop his head, blue flames licked the air in place of what would have normally been hair. His red eyes bore into her blue ones as he looked down to her and she watched him closely, unsure if she should remain immobile or 'Go Ghost' as Danny called it.

She watched as a smile crept along his slimy lips, a red mist pouring from both his nostrils and parted mouth. It was the same one she had experienced time and time again in the span of the past few months; the burning hot sensation was only present when her mother was near. She noticed he knew its exact cause and felt liberated by it, instead of a slave to its pain like she was.

She stole a quick glance downwards and saw Danny running below them, hoping to get closer to the spectacle and stopping to witness the show above. Behind him Tucker and Sam followed, at the sight of her mother the same sick hot feeling came back as it always did. She locked eyes with the monster before her, the 'DP' emblem finally catching her eye. She heard him mumble a remark about comparing himself to Danny down below, it was then an electric shock went off in her brain.

"Danny?" She questioned, regretting it when the red mist poured out of her nose and mouth. She noticed how his eyes widened and he pulled her upwards so they were now looking each other eye-to-eye. He seemed confused as he studied her face. His grip loosened and she was sure he was going to drop her. "Please. Don't." She begged, everyone in town below was watching her, if she fell, they'd all know her secret or she'd die.

"Why?" He asked smugly, his voice deep and a smile as wicked as the Witch of the West crossed his face. She noticed his grip tighten as he looked downward towards the trio. His eyes locked on Sam and a smile so wide she could see his teeth spread across his face.

She was different from the last time he saw her, her hair was a few inches longer and she had grown into her body, curves in all the right places. Had he any ounce of humanity left in him he would swear his long ago stilled heart was beating once again. He looked to her uncharacteristically covered mid-section and noticed it was slightly bloated. The oversized shirt did her no justice. It wasn't enough to cause attention, but enough so he knew what it meant. The girl's red mist, Sam's slightly tight pants…Lilith saw something flicker his eyes, as if he held a new form of understanding before he looked her over once more. "I take it they don't know."

She looked him over confused, _what is he talking about?_

"Your true identity?" He offered and became slightly upset when she remained confused. "Your little secret." This time she watched as his free hand went intangible and he pulled out Clockworks medallion from under her shirt. "Oh, Clockwork really needs to stop meddling."

"Don't tell, please." She begged remaining still and quiet in his grasp. How he had known her prized possession was there was a mystery to her and how he knew the one who sent her here was only adding to the piling confusion. He looked her over slightly confused now, as if studying and questioning her very existence. He would have expected her to be brave, strong and ready to attack him, yet she was nothing more than a scared little girl, not nearly worthy of the power she contained.

"You sicken me." He said watching as his harsh words had her flinching. "Show them!" He yelled shaking her violently. "Show them who you really are!" He barked out and sent a jolt of electricity throughout her body. She gasped in pain as the electricity coursed through her body and put her senses on fire.

"No, please. You don't understand." She said reaching her right hand upward to take his wrist and forearm firmly in her grasp, holding on tightly for dear life.

"No, child. It's **you **who doesn't understand." He held her away from his body and shook her once more. "Now, show them all who you really are."

Lilith closed her eyes as tears formed in them and focused all her concentration into her other half. She was sure it wasn't going to work, she couldn't even go intangible, but it seemed he wanted this to happen. Everyone down below watched as two rings appeared in her mid-section and travelled throughout her body. Her black blouse turned into her white spaghetti strapped shirt that was covered with her black pleather jacket. Her long black flowing hair became pearly white and her jeans disappeared, white tights and a black pleather skirt took their place. Her eyes popped open, tears spilling freely as her green eyes glowed. She heard all the gasps beneath her and flinched once more. She locked eyes with her captor, neon green meeting crimson red. Defeat was written all over her face.

"Ahhh, there's daddy's little girl." He whispered conceitedly bringing his left hand to cup her cheek. She shied away from him, more lost than ever at his words. "You see, I thought it was you, but then I thought, 'no she's too weak to be an offspring of mine'. You _Lilith…_" He spat out her name like it was bile on his tongue. She wondered how he knew her name and what he was talking about. "…are a disappointment…much like your mother." He teased chuckling as her brows furrowed in anger and her eyes darkened. He could talk all the trash he wanted about her, but not her mother; especially when she was only feet beneath them watching in terror and confusion.

"Danny, do something." Sam urged him.

"I can't yet. I need to find out what he wants with her. One wrong move and he could kill her." Danny said, his eyes as green as Lilith's.

"I'M NO DAUGHTER OF YOURS!" She yelled back, not caring if anyone below heard or not. Danny, Sam and Tucker's eyes went wide over what Lilith screamed.

"Not for much longer you're not." He said ripping the medallion from her neck and watched as she disappeared from his grip. "Such a shame, I was hoping we could rule together, daddy and daughter as a team." He spoke to the empty space Lilith had occupied only seconds ago.

"She was from the future?" Sam asked confused catching sight of the pendant in his hand, the sun reflected off of it.

"She's MY DAUGHTER!?" Danny asked more lost than Sam. She looked down to her stomach and placed a hand under the shirt and over her flesh. She wasn't far along to be showing yet, one of the reasons she found it so easy to keep the secret from Danny…that is until now.

"Maybe your little girlfriend should have opened her mouth earlier." Dan said locking eyes with Danny. Sam looked to her boyfriend and noticed the hurt and betrayal cross his features as he fought to look her in the eyes.

His gaze begged to know if what his evil half said was true, and though she could not utter the words, she knew her expressions gave her away. Danny looked away from her, his eyes falling as if giving up hope on her before he looked back to Dan, his fists glowing, green ectoplasmic balls of fury. He meant to fight his older self, but it seemed the older Danny had another thing planned. "Such a shame you won't get to see her grow up." He teased taking one final look at his former, 'weaker' self before sending a large ectoplasm ball right at him.

Sam watched in horror, helpless against the future.

Tucker dove towards Sam, throwing his body in front of hers and bringing her to the ground with a loud thud, effectively saving her from the blow that Danny took at full force after bursting through the shield he had managed to put up in defense. He didn't know if it was true or not, but he planned on keeping Sam and her baby alive for as long as he could, if only he could have done the same for Danny. Tucker looked at the spot before him in utter shock, the sound of Sam's heavy sobs mixed with Dan's malicious laughter and the disappearance of Danny was all too much. He quickly stood on shaky legs, pulling Sam up violently with him and taking off into the growing crowd.

As he ran past the screaming people he was stopped in his tracks by a large car screeching to a halt only millimeters in front of him. Sam seemed oblivious to the chaos around her and was more like heavy cargo for Tucker to drag along. Neither could wrap their minds over the events that had just taken place, but knew nothing good had come from it.

"GET IN!" A female voice called as the back door flew opened. Tucker watched as Jazz jumped out from the back, the 'Spector Deflector' covered every inch of her body as she looked the two teens over.

"JAZZ! SAM'S…" Tucker wasn't able to finish as she pushed them into the RV.

"I know, I've informed my parents. They're going to get the two of you out of the city as fast as possible." She said turning to leave.

"BUT DANNY…" Tucker yelled out, hoping to inform his best friend's older sister of his demise.

"I know Tucker." Jazz said turning to face him, tears in her eyes and revenge on her face. "It was being televised. The whole world knows. I've got to keep him within the city limits."

With that said Jazz took off, fighting the crowd as she fought to make her way towards the one who destroyed the future. Tucker watched her disappear into the crowd and looked over to Sam. She was safe now, with the Fenton's.

"Tucker, dear…" Mrs. Fenton broke through his mental ravine and pulled him back to the present. "Close the door so we can go."

"Sam…" Tucker said placing both hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Be strong, make sure this baby is born, and whatever you do…DON'T EVER LET HER RETURN!" With that said Tucker jumped out of the van, slamming the door shut and took off after Jazz. As Mayor he had to help evacuate the city and put up the Ghost Shield before Dan was able to leave. He stole a glance back as Mr. and Mrs. Fenton took off at high speed with the future sitting mournfully in the backseat. He knew now, that eventually Lilith would return, something within her would always be pulling her home, but he had to make sure that never happened. It was the least he could do for his friend.

**OK so there was chapter 16. Sorry it took so long I had planned on having this up on Monday but was rushed to hospital when I accidently burned my arm. **

**So the next chapter will, hopefully, explain everything. Any questions after that I will more than gladly answer and clear up, seeing as how time-travel can be both tricky and confusing.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	17. Chapter 17

Lilith opened her eyes and found herself alone on the same bus she had left behind only months ago. She took in the surroundings and realized she was as far from the place she once called home. The sun was rising over the horizon, promising another beautiful morning. _'Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.'_

As she looked herself over she found that, minus a few scraps and scratches, she was still herself. She began to realize that she had failed; she had failed in changing the past and that instead of a new future Clockwork had more than likely reset time and just let her deal with her impending death. She couldn't do anything right it seemed.

"I failed." She muttered to herself, tears falling from her eyes, there was no going back now. There was no future worth living here. "I'm so sorry." She sighed apologizing to anyone and everyone she let down. The tears poured from her eyes as her bus pulled up to her long awaited destination.

"_There is a ghost within me  
The being of one who died long ago,  
They haunt my waking world,  
Helping my nightmares grow,  
This body within my own seeks to destroy  
A world so pure,  
Lives will be lost at any and all cost,  
Until someone finds a cure,_

_Hold me close,  
Your cold breath on my neck  
Lips of ice  
Upon my own_

_Suck the air from my lungs  
While I fight for life.  
Hold my chambers in your hand  
Until they cease to beat"."_

Lilith ripped her headphones from her ears and forcefully silenced her favorite band. She could not bear the soft melodious voice of the lead singer. Her words hit too close to Lilith's heart. She was forced to live with her mistakes and failures, while they forever haunted her. Much like her own ghost-self did to her human half.

As she exited the vehicle she took in her surroundings. This was not the Amity Park she knew, this was a ghost town. _No pun intended_. Not a soul looked to have occupied the place in years. Buildings lay in ruins, cars crashed and ripped apart, the tears poured freely now. The statue that once rested so proudly in the middle of the town was now destroyed and reduced to nothing but a pile of rubble. The face of an old friend, destroyed.

"_You're a watchful protector  
As the cities before you,  
Through its own destruction,  
Are reduced to rubble_

_You stand alone against a cause  
Only you can fight.  
The enemies of your past  
Promise my end_

_How can they kill  
What's already dead?_

Again the song entered her mind. 'The Ghost Within Me' seemed to be her own life now, there was no longer a world she knew. She was finding herself having to say good-bye to all she thought she could once have. To all that _should have_ existed.

"HALT! DON'T MOVE!" The voice called out, it sounded female and stern. Lilith focused her energy to her hand, just like Danny Phantom had taught her. The green ball of energy was to be deployed until the voice softened and spoke again. "Sam?"

Lilith froze, _who here knew her mother?_

"Samantha Manson, is that you?" The more the woman spoke, the more familiar she sounded.

"Jazz?" She questioned not turning to face her just yet.

"Yeah. It's me." She said softly.

"Jasmine Fenton?" She said turning to see a familiar face she wasn't even supposed to know existed. She looked older now, the past seventeen or odd so years had not been generous to her. She had grey streaks in her once beautiful red locks, her face looked a lot older than she was and she looked as if she had just seen a ghost (_again pun not intended_) pale and star struck.

"OH MY-LILITH?" She asked surprised. Lilith froze, she was not supposed to know her. In this time frame they were strangers, her memory could not be that good.

"You know me?" She asked, the ectoplasmic ball disappeared from her grasp before Jazz could see and she stood before the woman completely lost.

"Of course I know you." She said running towards her and pulling close into a tight hug. "Question is how do you know me?" Lilith was lost now, Jazz knew her, but not as the girl from her past. She knew her as a girl from the present. _But how?_

"I don't know." She lied holding the woman close, afraid she'd loose her too. She let her gaze fall on the being standing silently in his spot behind her. He was tall, what parts of him that weren't covered in bandages and dried green ectoplasmic blood were covered in fur and as his eyes met hers she smiled at him softly, happy to see a familiar face.

"You know Wulf?" She asked softly looking her old friend over.

"Know him? I sent him after you, to protect you." She said smiling, Lilith felt comfortable with this, knowing someone out there had been watching over her. Had she not would've known Jazz was on her side the thought would have scared her, in this time she didn't know this woman, the fact she had someone watching out for her was just a little suspicious. But she had just returned from the past, a past where Jazz Fenton was a friend, not a foe. "He's been secretly guarding you and your mother since before you were even born."

"He has?" She questioned softly.

"Of course, but he had strict orders to never make contact with you…for your own safety."

He looked from the hold both women had on one another and to the dark clouds that seemed to be rolling in. He gave off a soft whine before speaking in his language. Jazz listened attentively to everything he said before quickly grasping onto Lilith's wrist and pulling her out of the streets. She watched helplessly as Wulf took off in the opposite direction, a look of disgust and revenge in his eyes. Lilith phased her arm from Jazz's grasp and took off after Wulf. She longed to know why he was sent to protect her, what he sensed and wanted to help, knowing he was not yet fully recovered from his previous battle. Her feet carried her body has fast as they could, desperate to catch up to Wulf and outrun Jazz. From behind her she could hear the woman calling out to her, begging her to stop and return to her side. But she ignored it; she pushed it to the back of her mind and continued to chase after Wulf.

When she noticed him stop in his tracks, she froze, anxious to see what he was staring at with an intrigued look. His ears twitched back and his eyes widened in terror and he lowered the upper half of his body in a fighting stance and threw back his head forcefully. A loud howl escaped his mouth and before Lilith could see the one who caused the ghost to act like this, Jazz was once again at her side, desperately pulling her away.

"Your mother kept you from Amity Park for a reason." She bit out pulling her back the way they had come.

"I don't care, she's not here now." Lilith fought back, phasing through her grip once more before making her way over to Wulf. _Seriously? She had to see that one coming._

There he stood, the stranger from before. His hair of flames and eyes of death stared down at her. A smile spread across his face, showing off his filed down canines, the 'DP' logo shined brightly, softly mocking her.

"Well if it isn't my little offspring come to visit daddy. I knew eventually curiosity would get the better of you. Just like my former self." He said his deep voice cutting into her like knives. "But how much of you is truly like me?"

He looked her over, as if deciding who she really was; his hot stare brought her heart to a halt. He fired off a ball of ectoplasm towards Wulf, sending him back several feet, but not hitting him. It seemed the oversized dog was on to him and dodged the attack quite successfully. She watched as another ball was fired at him, hitting him harshly this time and sending him on his back, the wind knocked out of him and unmoving. The cheap shot was too much for the unsuspecting ghost.

"NO!" Lilith screamed out, her eyes flashed green as her feet took off towards Wulf, hoping to check his vitals and see if he was alright, but before she could approach him, she felt herself rising.

She found her body heavy and unable to move, she was surrounded by a large bubble that was fire red as she was pulled toward the darker being. He smiled wickedly as he looked her over. He made her surrounding containment disappear and kept her suspended in air while he took her in.

"You're dying inside." He stated so proudly, an evil smirk spreading across his face. "You're slowly killing your own humanity, and becoming just like me." Her eyes went wide, how did he know she was contemplating letting her halves split? Before she went back to two thousand seven, she was only seconds away from separating herself. Allowing her ghost half to leave and be free, even if it meant killing her human self in the process. "Such a beautiful sight. She tried to keep you away from it, but in the end she only pushed you further over the edge." The distain in his voice told her clearly he was speaking of her mother. And sadly, he was right. It was all because she was different, and believed to be a nuisance to her family she longed to change, but not anymore. Not after learning everything she had, neither of her parents wanted this for her, and if she was going to die, she was going down with a fight, with both halves still intact.

"I'll NEVER BE LIKE YOU!" She screamed, the blue and white rings surrounded her body and she stood before him in all her ghostly glory. Behind her Jazz gasped, never fully seeing her niece in the same light as her brother took her by surprise. She knew her niece having such powers was very possible, yet the image before her made everything seem real.

"You will learn to speak to me with a proper tone young lady." Dan said looking Lilith in her cold eyes. "You're too much like your mother, and I would have had you both dead years ago, if Wulf had stayed out of my way and away from you." Lilith looked to him oddly. Wulf was the one of the main reasons she was still alive, still unfazed to the evilness behind her father's darkest self. He had found her in the past and managed to keep her safe, now, here in the present, she was able to fulfill her destiny. "You will become like me, or you will die." He spoke raising her high above his head, staring into her eyes and her soul. "There is no third option."

Below her she could see Jazz readying an ecto-gun and bringing it over her shoulder to rest before pulling the trigger. Lilith watched horrified as the ectoplasm fired from the gun and straight towards her. She could feel her heart racing, her mind reeling and her death only millimeters away and growing closer. Her eyes slammed shut, preparing for the impact, however, before it could be made she heard a voice erupt through her mind and forced her eyes to open.

"You will die by his hands." Her eyes slowly opened, almost afraid to see the new intruder, but the familiarity behind his voice made her feel somewhat at ease.

"Clockwork!" She got out looking to him all too happily. She noticed time around her had stopped. Jazz looked on determined to hit and destroy her target while Dan smiled smugly as he held her high above him, the front of her shirt balled up into his fist. She quickly broke free from his grasp and quickly put as much distance between them as she could.

"You have failed, Lilith." He spoke, the young child before her grew into an old man, his long beard seemed to go on forever in that moment.

"I know, I'm sorry." She said, her head lowered in shame, unable to meet his judging gaze.

"I knew you would fail." He spoke matter-of-factly, not a sense of surprise in his tone. "I sent you knowing you would fail."

"Then why send me at all?" She spat out vengefully, angered by his words. He was patronizing her, making her feel inferior and useless. She couldn't even complete a simple task, and worse yet the very one who sent her never had faith in her to being with.

"Calm down young Phantom." He said, his smug smile back resting on his lips. "I sent you back to realize your goal. To help you see what it was you were to prevent and prepare for it."

"I don't know what you mean." She spoke, her heart racing with adrenaline, but her voice was so cool, never faltering.

Before she could think of another question, Clockwork turned his back to her and threw the arm carrying his cane across the sky. She watched in awe stricken horror as before her a circle of swirling colors and light appeared before falling upon a clearer image. The picture before her sent a stabbing pain into her gut as her whole body tingled.

"Had you would've stayed here, you would have joined him. His vexing words sounding like a dream come true to your dying soul. You would have become just like him." He spoke so softly, as if speaking to a child who was slowly understanding death came to all.

Before her an older image of herself stood floating above the world. The man she knew to be Danny in some way or another stood at her side, admiring her like a father would his child. She didn't look like herself, though. She almost didn't recognize the woman staring back at her from the frozen image. Her hair was still white, but flowed like flames behind her in the wind. Her eyes were no longer green, but the same blood red as the man that had called himself her father. Her lips were pure black and her face a deep pale white. Her nails were long and sharp, reminding her of the cat she once loved so dear.

The more she stared at the image the more she hated the one who stared numbly back. The only thing she noticed that didn't strike fear into her was the white logo that rested on her chest, a large 'LP'. It sent a spike of warmth through her, not only had this being welcomed her for what she was, but he proudly staked claim on her for all to see. He was not asking her to hide her abilities, but better yet use them alongside him as an aide. She could only imagine what he could teach her.

"You would join your father amongst the evil of it all. The two of you destroying all that laid in you path." He waved his cane across again, this time showing her human half lying dead on the asphalt. Her mother held her close, tears falling freely from puffy eyes as she cursed the ones above her and begged to be done with as well.

"You have taken what was mine." She screamed, rage and anger made her arms shake as she held her daughter's lifeless form close.

"What was _ours_, Samantha." He said, pulling the evil form of Lilith close, she smiled wickedly, relaxing into her father's embrace. Not a sign of remorse or pity on the woman she had once called mommy. "Now, she is mine."

"End my life. I have nothing worth living for." She begged.

"With pleasure." The dark Lilith spoke, a large fiery blue ball forming in her hands as she prepared to fire it at her mother.

"NO!" Lilith spoke, leaping forward, hoping to end the spectacle before her. Tears stained her eyes as the images became too much for her. Clockwork flung his cane across once again and as mysteriously as it appeared, the cloudy circle left.

"You see now, why I sent you?" Lilith slowly nodded her head. "Had you would've stayed he would've talked you into this future and you would've surrendered so mercilessly. I had to remind you why you sought to live, why you needed to never give into him."

"I understand." She whispered softly, her head still unable to meet his eyes.

"However, I also sent you back to meet your father." Her head shot up now and she met the young man before her. "I needed him to train you and prepare you for battle. For only you can destroy the dark half that is Dan Phantom."

"Why me?"

"Because, you are a naturally born halfa. The first and strongest of your kind. Far stronger than Danny or even Dan. The second you realize that, you are nearly undefeatable. You are the only one who can stop him now. That's why he wants you dead or on his side, with you alive and strong as you are, you are nothing more than a threat to him and his plans."

"Is that why he killed Danny?"

"Yes, he destroyed his younger half in hopes of removing him from the picture, his only threat."

"Why would he kill a younger version of himself? Doesn't that sort of push him out of the world too?"

"No. Dark Dan exists outside of the main time frame. He no longer needs Danny to live because he had become his own being. Plus, Danny Phantom was no longer a risk in becoming Dark Dan, for he had all he needed to keep him good and sane." Lilith gave him a questioning glance. "You and your mother." Lilith nodded in understanding, unwilling to question him. She knew little about time travel and doubted anyone, but the ghost before her, fully understood both the journey and the repercussions.

"Danny Phantom was my father?" She questioned herself softly, knowing it had to be true, but unable to fully believe it. Clockwork nodded slowly.

No wonder Sam left Amity Park all those years ago. After seeing the way she and Danny-her father-were together Sam must have been heart broken, destroyed emotionally. That's what killed her mother on the inside, that's what blew out the flames of adventure in her eyes. The death of her best friend, her lover, her…child's father.

"He didn't know she was pregnant, did he?" She questioned, referring to the darker half of the man being pinned as her paternal parent.

"No, imagine his surprise when he returned to this time to find the woman he once loved has bore him a child. He was livid, and immediately returned to 2007 to destroy any chance of you being born. Never did he image I was a step ahead of him and had sent you back, fully grown, on a mission for me. Your mother caught on quickly and fled to keep you safe."

"I want to speak to my mother." She said looking him dead in the eyes, hoping he would grant her one last request.

"I knew you would." He muttered handing her a cell phone. She stared down at it slightly confused, the more she looked at it the more she realized it was hers, how he got it she'd never know. "I will unfreeze time, keeping only this city in a froze state. Make your call quick, for it's not safe to keep it like this for long." Lilith nodded in understanding and began to push the familiar numbers in as the time keeper called a 'Time In'.

The ringing in her ear was deafening as she waited for the person on the other side to answer. Her heart pounded in her ears and she almost hung up, until the soft voice called out.

"Hello?" The person on the other line sounded tired and broken as if its owner had not seen sleep in days. It was strange hearing the matured voice of her mother after so long. It was as if the teen version she had gotten to know so well was nothing more than a close friend she had lost contact with. "Hello?" She pressed, pulling Lilith from her mental ravine.

"Mom?" She whispered so softly, she was unsure if she heard her. The word was so foreign to her lips, it almost disgusted her. In this time, it had only been hours since she uttered the word, but for Lilith it was months. She had almost forgotten who the word was used to label.

"Lilith? Where are you? I've been so worried. Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Sam ran off a million questions, with each one she sounded more and more broken. _I've got to fix this._

"Mom." Sam still kept going. "Mom?" She seemed oblivious to her daughter. "MOM!" Finally Sam went silent and listened. "I'm fine, I'm ok. I promise."

"Well that's good, because you're in so much trouble. I swear Lilith you had me worried sick. Are you trying to fucking kill me? I wake up to find your room empty and broken glass everywhere, I almost lost it." Lilith over to Clockwork, he seemed to be surveying the surrounding damage to the city, but knew he was listening in, not that she cared. "Where are you, I'll come pick you up."

"Amity Park." This came out as an unsure statement. She could hear her mother take in a deep breath of air before trying to utter her next question.

"What are you doing there?" She was trying to remain calm, Lilith knew. But it wasn't anger she was fighting, it was something so much deeper, more emotional.

"I'm here seeking answers." Lilith whispered. Before, she had gotten on the bus just to escape, and as if by fate she was brought here. Now she had so many questions she wanted answered. The truth behind it all would be too much for her mother to understand. "Mom…Is Richard Hayes my real father?" She descended from the sky and landed only centimeters from the frozen statue of the woman that could very well be her aunt. She heard her mother softly break down over the phone. It was all the confirmation she needed. Danny Fenton/Phantom was her father. _Am I really that clueless? _She vowed to do all in her power to change this future. "I'm so sorry." She whispered at a pitch only dogs could hear. "I tried to do all I could to protect you."

Her mother had married another man so that she would have a father growing up, so her last name would change and this 'Dark Dan' could never find her. Her mother gave up happiness, her family and everyone she cared about just so her daughter could live a safe and happy life. And yet here she was in the belly of the beast and asking to be digested.

"I know mom, but-" Lilith was cut off by her mother speaking clearly now.

"No, Lilith you don't know. You don't know how much trouble and hateful stares I got for being a teen mother. You don't know how hard I tried to make it work with…Rick." She spat his name out like it was sour milk. "I tried to love him, but he always knew it was a lie. It was so hard trying to hide your gift from him. I should have been encouraging you, but instead I had to make you suppress it."

Lilith listened in, hoping with every passing second Clockwork found it in his heart to let the conversation go on. She looked up to the frozen image of Dark Dan and felt her heart drop into her stomach, so much hate for the man coursed throughout her body.

"Every time I caught you phasing through a wall or going invisible I was reminded of him. You have his eyes…"She trailed off here and lowered her voice once more, so much emotion and self-hatred dripped with the next spoken words. "That's why I never could look at you, why I failed you as a mother. You were too much like your father that it killed me inside to know I no longer had him. That unlike him, I got to raise you and see you grow up." She was crying again, Lilith's heart broke over her mother's confession. "I thought that by keeping you away from all this ghost business I was protecting you, promising you a brighter future, but I see now I was only dooming you and making your death inevitable."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Don't you see Lilith? He'll kill you, he wants you dead. That's why I left there, that's why I never allowed you to use your ghost powers, for fear he'd find you and kill you. But I should have been training you. I should have known you'd be just like your father and me." She paused, a smile in her voice and pride dripping from every word she spoke next. "You're so full of life, of adventure. So curious about the world around you and what you can do to change it. I always knew deep down you'd return to Amity Park, I always knew you'd have to learn to fight, or else he would destroy you…I'm sorry, Lil, I failed you."

"You never failed me." She said quickly her own tears streaming down her face. She hadn't been called her childhood nickname by this version of her mother in years, and for the first time she felt she was closer to her mother than ever before.

It turned out the truth really did set her free.

Lilith hung the phone up and looked back over to Clockwork. He floated only inches from her, knowing she was no longer in the dark to her own history.

"I kept Dark Dan there, in that time so he would have to wait for you to return, your aunt and Wulf kept him secluded solely to Amity Park." He spoke, throwing his hands in the air and calling 'Time Out' before turning back to her. "I sent you back to learn the truth, to fix his misdeeds so that you may have your father in your life. But most of all I sent you back so he could teach you how to fight, and you could hold up your end in a fair battle." Lilith let it all sink in, her mother's secret kept her alive this far. "I will send you back, one last time. You know what to do now. Don't mess up." He said softly, taking another medallion and turning it intangible before placing it into her stomach.

"What the-" She asked looking down at him confused.

"He will not be able to reach it and bring you back." He explained. "You are stronger now. Now that you can control your powers you can defeat him. Once he is gone, you will return home."

"And if I fail?" She asked ashamed.

"You will be forced to face the same fate as your father all those years ago. In so doing, dooming us all." He answered. "Good luck, Lil Phantom." She smiled, the name sending a warm jolt through her body, before she could open her mouth for another question her world went black.

"_My heart beats in your chest_

_Allowing you to fight_

_I lay beneath the soil_

_Calling out to you through the night_

_I will wait a thousand more years_

_Until you return_

_For he haunts me like the ghost of death,_

_Here to steal my dying breath._

_His name passes my lips like a silent prayer,_

_Our love is the start of something rare."_

**The 'Song' above is called 'The Ghost Within Me'. I wrote it and stake claim to it. Not my best work, but hey! I felt this chapter sort of needed a theme song.**

**YES! This chapter was exceptionally long and took me maybe 6 drafts before finally settling on this one. Hopefully I answered any questions or confusion. If not please PM me or leave it in the review and I will do my damnedest to clear it up in the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it and I hope its not too confusing or under simplified. **

**As always, thank you so much for the reviews and please keep them coming. The next chapter will be a flashback, followed by Lilith returning back to '07 and a faceoff with Dan. Can anybody else just see a Dark Lilith? I did a little research on the name and for Sam being Jewish it's a little blasphemes, you could say. Maybe even sacrilegious.**

**Considering, in Jewish tradition, (PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, I MEAN NO OFFENSE TO ANY ONE HERE) Lilith was Adam's first wife, she considered herself his equal and refused to lie with him in the missionary position, claiming she had just as much right as him. Not in so many words God banished her to hell, and created Eve for Adam instead, it's written Lilith became Satan's mistress as well as a succubus. Again! I mean no offense or harm to any religion here and if I am wrong please feel free to correct me, the internet can be wrong at times and quite often I am misinformed.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**ALSO I WILL NOW BE RESPONDING TO ANY QUESTIONS VIA REVIEWS OR PMS IN REGARDS TO THIS STORY, ASSUMING YOU DON'T INQUIRE TOO MUCH ABOUT FUTURE CHAPTERS!**


	18. Chapter 18

_A loud pounding at the door pulled the young teen from her seat and towards the source, longing to see who dared to intrude on her life now that she was starting to find tranquility. She listened in for any sounds amongst the house and upon being greeted with silenced sensed she was alone, which was both relieving and unsettling._

"_Can I help you?" She asked opening the door wide enough so she could only see the ones standing on her porch. She was tired and weak, her body barely adjusting to sudden loss of weight and traumatic difficulty of her pregnancy only two days prior._

"_Yes, we're looking for a Samantha Manson." One man spoke. Her eyes went wide as she looked the two males over. They wore shades over their eyes and firmly pressed white suits, nothing seemed to be out of place on them. The way they stood, straight and alert, would make any drill sergeant proud._

"_She's not here, can I take a message." She lie, quickly glancing behind her to be sure her daughter still slept soundly. The infant lay on the couch only feet away, surrounded by pillows so she wouldn't roll off, though that was the least of her worries._

"_Is there a Mister or Missus Fenton present?" The other man spoke. Her heart dropped to her stomach, she had believed she left this all behind in Amity Park, but it appeared there was no running from the past. _

"_I'll talk to them sweetie." A soft feminine voice called from behind her, taking her by surprise once realizing she was in fact not alone, and pulled her away from the door. It was a shock to her that they had yet to break it down, barging in with guns poised and more questions than answers. "You need your rest." She reassured her, a nurturing hand placed lightly on her shoulder in a motherly gesture._

_The door closed softly as Sam turned to find Jack Fenton only inches from her. He offered her his hand and she graciously took it, letting him help her back to her spot on the couch next to her two day old little girl. She offered him a smile of thanks before he looked down to the infant that would forever be a part of the son he lost. He brought his index and middle finger to his lips, placing a kiss on them before gently pressing them to the sleeping child's head._

_Sam smiled and watched as he walked away, tears hidden behind her eyes and threatening to fall. It would only be a matter of days before she would have to leave her second family behind, taking away the one thing they had come to cherish as much as their own children. She had only wished Jazz was with them, she could easily comfort the lost and confused new mother. But, alas, she had to stay behind in Amity Park and keep __**HIM **__at bay._

_Everyone she knew and loved was risking their lives for her and her child. Her own parents had gone to the extent of faking her death and paying a substantial amount of money to the hospital to be sure Lilith's birth records could not be found by anyone. Or anything. They had then left Amity Park as well, praying one day they would see their daughter and granddaughter again._

_Tucker had stayed behind as well, making sure Amity Park was evacuated and a permanent ghost shield was put up. Jazz had volunteered to stay behind and be sure it was never turned off, her own personal sacrifice as to honor her brother's death and maintain Lilith's existence. Everyone knew that eventually the day would come that they would face off. She was the world's only hope, the only one who could stop him. Tucker had argued, saying it was safer for Lilith to just deny who and what she was, and as much as Sam agreed she knew it wasn't fair. She would feel guilty asking her to suppress the one part of her that made her so much like her father. But she also knew witnessing her child go through the struggle would be too much to bare, she would be too much like Danny she didn't think she could handle it. _

_The hard part was just keeping her alive._

_Sam cried heavily into the pillow, trying to mute the sound as not to wake her daughter. Everyone was risking their lives and in a few weeks she would betray them all. She had planned from the start to take Lilith and run away, where no one could find them. She would hide Lilith far from this world and protect her from herself. Lilith would __**NEVER **__become a risk of turning into what her father's dark half was. She would also guarantee she never ended up like the father that she had fallen madly in love with. _

_No, Lilith would never be a risk for any of it…because as far as Sam was concerned her daughter would never know any of it. She would shield her from it all and hide her powers from the one who possessed them. It would be hard, a job all on its own, but she was determined to keep the one thing in her life that was more important than air, alive_

_Soft sniffles could be heard followed by a low cry. Sam pulled her head out of the soaked pillow and looked to the child swaddled in a black blanket. The 'Danny Phantom' logo that rested in the middle had been altered to an 'LP' for Lilith Phantom. A gift from her grandparents who took pride in what she was and wished for her to flourish and save them all. She knew she was being selfish, but she didn't care, nothing mattered but her daughter now._

_She lifted her up and brought the child's small mouth to her aching breasts, allowing the child to feed. The blanket would come with her, until she was old enough to maintain a solid form on her own. Then it would be hidden away from the world. The cloth alone was unique and kept the infant from phasing through anything, allowing her to remain safe, sound and warm._

"_Sam?" The voice was soft and gentle. She looked up to lock eyes with a soft violet. Her 'mother-in-law' looked to her with a worried look, but a gentle smile on her face. She returned the smile and peered down to her feeding child. Maddie moved from her spot in the hallway and made her way into the room cautiously. "They're gone for now."_

_Sam nodded her head and mouthed a 'Thanks' before pulling Lilith out from under her shirt and gently trying to place her over her shoulder. She patted her back softly and waited in silence until she gave off a rather large burp._

"_That I know she gets from her dad." Jack said, sensing Sam was decent enough for him to enter. A large smile spread across Sam's face and a soft chuckle escaped._

_Both Fenton's locked eyes and smiled, satisfied they finally got solemn teen to laugh. But the joy didn't last long as the tears began to pour once again. Jack moved forward and grabbed the 'munchkin', as he called her, and carried her out of the room; rocking her back and forth as he went. Maddie, without a second's thought, embraced Sam and let her cry her eyes out into her grey sweater. _

_Not, but a few hours after the birth Sam had been diagnosed with Postpartum Depression and everyone knew why. In all honesty, everyone had been expecting it. She was eighteen, barely an adult, and already a mother. Though her parents offered any and all help, plus the help from the father's parents, everyone knew it was nothing compared to having Danny there himself. _

_She fell into a funk, never once neglecting Lilith, but crying at the most random moments. She missed Danny, and hated how he would never know he had a daughter with her. His parents and sister were doing everything they could to protect them, but she knew in order to truly keep her safe she would have to leave. That thought alone had only added to the pain, soon she would be alone. A single mother with no help at all, she would have to sever all ties to her previous life in order to make a safe and happy future._

_Maddie held Sam and rubbed her back until her body stopped shaking and the tears ceased. When her breathing reached a steady pace she pulled away and laid the teen down to sleep on the couch. She kissed the mother of her granddaughter on the top of her head before exiting the room and going in search of her husband and grandchild._

_A month had passed and with it Sam had seemed to surmount her PPD, along with regaining her strength. She looked over to the sleeping infant and then to the clock on the floor. It was two in the morning, she knew it was now or never. _

_She quietly crawled out from under her covers and allowed her bare feet to squish into the carpet. She stood up and grabbed the large backpack from the floor. In it rested all of Lilith's belongings: toys, bottles, diapers, clothes and books. She then picked up a suitcase full of her own clothes and most needed supplies, along with ghost fighting gear she would use should they be attacked and caught off guard._

_As she approached her sleeping daughter's bassinette she let out a deep breath before picking her up, blanket and all, and held her tight. Releasing the air she was unaware she had been holding in. Lilith tossed a little in her arms and Sam prayed she remained asleep and was satisfied when she let out a deep yawn and returned to being still. _

_Together they made their way down the stairs and towards the front door, careful of every step they took. Before she fled, she entered the kitchen and left behind a note. In it she expressed her sorrow for leaving without a good-bye, but how it was necessary for Lilith's life. She thanked them throughout the eight page letter for their help, hospitality and love. At the end she promised they would meet up again in the future, when Lilith was old enough to understand why her mother did what she was now putting everyone through._

_As her hand turned the knob and pulled the door open she grabbed her shoes and exited into the cool night air. Holding her precious bundle close to her chest to be sure she didn't freeze. She carried them both down the street to where she parked her car, far from the ears of the people who would miss her when the sun rose. She carefully buckled Lilith into her car seat, being extra careful not to wake her. Once satisfied she was both safe and comfortable, she climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. _

_She had phoned her parents earlier in the week and asked them to wire her a large sum of cash. They had agreed, but begged to know why. She promised a letter would be mailed to them explaining what they longed to know. Deep down she knew they were aware that that would be the last time they would hear from her._

_She wiped the tears from her eyes and she eased the car onto the empty streets. She would drive into the nearest town on the border of Illinois and Indiana, collect the money from the wire and disappear into the night. She was a far way from home. As Lilith would grow older she would hide whatever ghost powers she had managed to inherit from her father. _

_She smiled to herself, satisfied her head was finally on straight and she was thinking like a mother._

"_So that's it? You're just going to run away with her?" His voice entered her head and a lone tear fell. _

_Ever since he had died she seen and heard him everywhere. For the longest time she had believed she was going crazy, but Maddie had assured her it was her minds way of dealing with the loss of her only love and father of her child. Not to mention her best friend since they were kids, he was as much a part of her as his ghost half was of him. The good half, the Danny Phantom half, not the Dark Dan half; the one who had caused too much destruction, so much hate and pain.__** HE**__ was the reason she was forced to leave with her daughter, __**HE **__was the reason Lilith would never know her birth father._

"_What choice do I have? I promised to protect her." She answered to the empty car, keeping her voice down as to not wake the sleeping girl. The silence was deafening and she was sure he had left. _

"_You can't have her run from who she is, Sam. No matter how hard you try, she will always be half ghost." He said sternly._

"_Don't you think I know that? But I can't have her knowing what she is Danny, I can't let her fight __**HIM**__, never." She said, another lone tear fell, seconds later it was joined by its lover. "I already lost you to __**HIM**__, I've lost every one I ever cared about because of __**HIM**__. I can't lose her. She's the only thing I have left, the only reason I have to live, and I'll be __**DAMNED! **__If __**HE**__ takes her from me." She said slamming her hands on the wheel as she came to a red light, surprisingly Lilith seemed unfazed by this and remained fast asleep._

"_I know Sam, I know." He whispered, she could feel a chill spread across her shoulder's and neck. "Do what you have to do. Protect her in anyway necessary, but don't let her completely forget who she is." The chill left and she felt an icicle stab her right cheek for a spilt second. "You're her mother, and I trust you to raise our daughter right." There was a long pause, and as the light turned green she heard him whisper ever so softly. "I just wish I could be there with you."_

"_Me too." She said, wiping her eyes clear of the tears that fell, the products joining their parents on the journey down her face. _

_She pulled the car over to the side of the road and tried to gather her thoughts. Before she could see clearly a cry came from the back seat. She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over to check on her fussy daughter. She seemed fine and not in need of anything, but the top of her forehead was freezing compared to the rest of her face._

"_Now Lilith…" She whispered softly a small genuine smile gracing her face. "You should know daddy loves you." She said stroking her midnight hair back, calming her down enough to where she felt comfortable enough to fall back asleep. _

_She sat back down in her seat and looked at the road in front of her. It would be hard, but she knew she could do it. She __**would **__do it all for the angel in the back seat. She buckled her seatbelt once more, now more determined than ever, as she pulled back onto the road and continued towards her future, a future where her daughter would not be known, nor hunted. All would be fine. She promised. _

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	19. Chapter 19

Lilith had disappeared from his grasp not seconds ago without an explanation as to her whereabouts or why. All that was left was the glimmering time medallion that rested firmly in Dan's left hand. The three looked up in awestricken bewilderment as the necklace fell from his grasp and vanished from sight before it could collide with the ground. Confusion and terror were etched on their features as they helplessly watched as Dan turned to face them.

"SHE'S FROM THE FUTURE?" Sam called out, pulling Danny from his spaced out state of being and forcing him to ask his own question.

"SHE'S MY DAUGHTER?" He screamed back, begging for everything to make sense, pleading for the clutter of thoughts to untangle. His head hurt and he found it harder and harder to think clearly, let alone fully grasp the meaning of it all.

"Maybe your little girlfriend should have opened her mouth earlier." Dan spat, forcing himself to lock eyes with his younger half. Sam quickly casted her gaze to her boyfriend and noticed the hurt and betrayal cross his features as he fought to look away from Dan and surveyed her. Her heart ached, as if a knife had been driven through it and she could feel the blood pouring into her body from the newly opened wound. "Such a shame you won't get to see her grow up."

Sam watched horrified as the ball of ectoplasm headed straight for the young man she had come to love. She bore witness to the scene that took place in slow motion as if a black and white film had replaced reality. From the corner of her eye Tucker charged at her, bringing her to the floor with a heavy thud, his weight on top of her as he attempted to shield her body from the line of fire, willing to take the blow and possibly even his demise to save his friend and her unborn child. She quickly pushed him off and stole a glance at the spot Danny had occupied only moments before, expecting the worse. Tucker looked on as well; Dan's evil laugh had him believing it was all over. His greatest challenge was now getting Sam out of Amity Park alive and trying to keep Dan from following her.

"MOVE DAMN IT!" A female voice called out, pulling all three teens to see Lilith hovering above them as Danny looked on paralyzed with panic. His eyes roamed over the female halfa as she struggled with a large self-made ghost shield that covered the four of them from the blast.

"Danny!" Sam said struggling to her feet and pulling him away from his spot and back to the task at hand. Tucker helped bring Danny out from behind Lilith and together they made their way out from the chaos.

"RUN!" Lilith yelled to the three as Dan burst through her bubble and pulled her towards him once again.

"Clockwork, just can't let fate be, can he?" He asked looking her over in disgust. "I will enjoy killing you." He whispered to her softly, a wide smile grew on his face.

"Not if I destroy you first." She spat back, pushing away from him and staring him in the eyes. She longed to be rid of the being before her and try to create the life her parents were supposed to live. She watched him as he stared her down, his burning glare staring into her soul and promising to devour it.

"You can try, child." He spoke, not an inclination of humor anywhere on him. He was afraid of her and she knew it, he was just refusing to show her his true feelings.

Lilith sprang forward, inflicting a hard punch into his stomach as she screamed out. She was fueled by anger and hate as she threw punch after punch at him. She was so blind with her fury she failed to see the rapidly traveling fist coming at her and only realized her ignorance as he made contact with her face. Her head rolled back at the impact and Dan took this opportunity to bring his other fist upwards, slamming it into her chin, pushing her mandible up and causing her bottom lip to smack into the upper half of her jaw. She let out a soft squeal as her lips cracked under the pressure of her teeth and split open. The metallic taste of blood entered her mouth as she struggled to stay conscious.

"Lilith!" Sam called out to her, desperate to keep the girl awake and stop her from slipping under. She glanced down to see Tucker and her mother looking up to her worried and frightened, but Danny was nowhere in sight. "LOOK OUT!"

Before she could turn and see what her mother was talking about, Danny came out of nowhere and brushed her away from the green ectoball Dan had fired at her. Her heart was racing as she looked the young version of her father over. Her heart skipped a beat as she sized him up and actually took him in, the same way she had done her mother months ago. The resemblance was so uncanny she felt like an idiot for not seeing it before.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He asked once sure they were out of Dan's sight. He cautiously stretched his hand forward and gently removed the stray drops of blood from her chin, causing her to blush in embarrassment. She shook her thoughts loose and looked to him oddly. His hands were now on her shoulders in a fatherly way and he looked at her as if she had sprouted a tail and wings. He took a deep breath and released the gentle hold he had, massaging his temples as he carefully chose his next words. "So you're my daughter?" She nodded a soft yes before wrapping her arms around him. She took him by surprise and was afraid he'd reject her, but was comforted when he embraced her back, squeezing her tightly to him, unwilling to let her go. "Why are you here?"

Before she could answer a blast of fire came at them, burning Lilith's shoulder and cutting through Danny's hazmat suit. She pushed him away forcefully and looked to her attacker with rage.

"I hate to break up this reunion, but I returned to kill you both. And I will not rest until I have succeeded." Dan got out, giving off his ghostly wail and sending both father and daughter to crash into a nearby wall.

"I can't defeat him alone!" Lilith got out, yelling to the one she would one day, hopefully, call 'daddy'. "But together…" Danny nodded his head in agreement and clasped her hand in his own.

"What do you have in mind?" Danny asked turning them intangible and pulling them through the wall and into the building behind them. The small room was a temporary use of cover so they could devise a scheme to take him down.

"I'll distract him, you attack." She spoke simply, taking off and leaving her father behind dazed and confused. She was so much like him he was starting to get a headache. He also knew she was at risk for getting herself killed. Thickheaded as she was though, he knew she was smart; after all she was Sam's daughter too. This alone forced him forward, knowing he could trust her with his life.

Danny phased back through the building and found Tucker and Sam looking around curiously for Lilith while Dan seemed to be doing his own search as well. He landed right next to Sam and embraced her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder and fought the tears that threatened to fall.

"When were you planning on telling me?" He asked placing his hand over her bloated stomach, still unable to believe the child they had created was growing in there.

"Today. It's why I called you here." She answered honestly. He had so many more questions to ask her, but knew it was more important to defeat Dan before going overprotective boyfriend, soon-to-be overprotective father on her. He smiled softly, he was going to be a father soon and from what he could already tell, he was going to be a very proud one. He looked to the sky, still unable to see his future daughter, but saw Dan flying around erratically combing the empty space for her.

"Stay safe." He said kissing her lips softly. "Tucker…"

"Don't even gotta say it, Dude." Tucker said smiling, a hand rose to silence him. "I'll watch her carefully and get her out of here if things get to be too much." Danny chuckled softly and patted his best friend on the back until a voice called out to him.

"HELP!" Danny's gaze shot up to see Dan held her tightly by the throat, his grip never wavering as he watched her struggle for air. He felt like an idiot for leaving her alone and knew he had to watch her carefully from that moment on. It seemed she was more like him then he was willing to admit.

Danny took off into the sky at full speed, delivering a powerful blow into his evil half's side, causing him to release Lilith instantaneously. Danny heard her coughing and struggling to place air back into her lungs as he fought with his self. Dan punched Danny in the left eye and attacked him, pushing him roughly into a nearby building.

"I will kill you and her. No one will stop me." He called out, placing a wall of fire between them as Lilith attempted to attack from behind. Her screams of terror were all Danny heard as a sharp stabbing pain ripped through his shoulder and down his body. He heard a loud pop and felt the heat of the fire as the blinding pain promised to be too much.

"LET HIM GO!" Lilith screamed loudly. The surrounding heat around Danny began to cool, this took Dan by surprise and Danny took this opportunity and delivered a swift kick in the groin. As Dan lowered to tend to the intense pain of his own, Danny gave a swift uppercut, throwing the evil ghost back a few feet.

His gaze then traveled to Lilith, a large purple bruise was forming in the shape of a hand around her neck and he couldn't help but feel outraged. In some way or another, he had done this to her. He was a terrible father. He wanted nothing more than to send her back home, where she would be safe, but he knew he couldn't defeat Dan on his own. Clockwork had sent her back here for a reason and though he had little inclination as to what it was, he was not going to question the master of time.

"LOOK OUT!" Sam called from below neither ghost could do a thing but watch as a blast forced them in opposite directions. As his back made contact with a window, Danny felt the pain in his shoulder return as well as a sharp piece of glass pierce his back. He got up, shaking the hit off and ignoring the pain as he searched the empty skies and ground for his daughter.

"Enough fooling around!" Dan hollered. "Face your death and stop being such a coward!"

"DAD! Over here!" Danny looked towards the spot the voice called from, but saw nothing, yet he knew she was there and smiled widely at the term she labeled him with. With that word alone he felt all the more reinvested to defeat Dan. He would destroy his evil half, send Lilith home to her own time, marry Sam and live happily ever after.

"Let's do it!" He called out, turning invisible as well, mentally turning all aches, pains and physical damages off.

Dan seemed unfazed by this and, with his back to his younger half, formed a ball of fire before turning and firing it directly in Danny's direction. The flames hit him square in the stomach, forcing his body to relax enough so he became visible. The forceful impact knocked the wind out of him with one hit and lit part of his suit on fire, burning through certain areas so chard skin was visible. He knew it was worth a shot, but no matter what he did, Dan would be a step ahead of him. For nobody else knew him better than he did.

"Fool." Dan got out with a chuckle. Lilith took this as an advantage and fired a ball of ice at him. Temporarily freezing his raised arm, and stopping his attack on Danny.

"Change of plans!" Lilith cried out throwing a beam of frost to stick his feet together. "Same concept, just switched."

Danny nodded and split himself into four, each one firing off random attacks, hitting him wasn't the objective, but it did help. With every blast Dan fought back while Danny dodged it and kept his attention focused solely on him. Lilith took this as an advantage and fired her own large fire ball at him; she was only now realized she was capable of such a power. She had expected it to hit him in the back, but he dodged it successfully firing sharp icicles into both of their directions.

Lucky for Danny it only sliced his good arm as he pulled himself back into the fight. His heart was racing and a sick feeling entered his stomach. They had to find a way to defeat him, he could feel a shiner forming on his left eye. His lip ached and was puffy from being split and he was pretty sure he may have had a broken bone or two. Not to mention the blinding pain in his arm was getting to the point where ignoring it would no longer be an option. Before he could even think, another punch came out of nowhere, hitting him full force in the gut, once again knocking the wind out of him.

_Lilith?_

Where was she? He searched frantically and fear took over any pain when he failed to see her around. Last he had seen her was before she turned invisible, she had taken quiet a beating herself. Her own lip was busted and her arm had been bleeding badly. He only hoped she was still able to fight. Her attacks has ceased for over two minutes, it wasn't like her. Something wasn't right.

He looked up to see Dan forming a large fiery green ball in his hands and eyeing him. As he fired it, Danny closed his eyes, unable to witness his own demise. When nothing came he chanced a peak and saw Lilith turning flips around him, confusing the evil ghost. He fired the ball into the air and the sound of impact could be heard followed by a loud feminine cry.

"Lilith!" Danny got out, hoping she wasn't too badly hurt. Dan smiled satisfied with his deeds before turning back to him.

Danny stood strong, ready to die for the little girl he may never get to know. Both Danny's stood face to face, ready to duel it out one last time. The winner would take all. Danny watched as flames danced around Dan, engulfing him in a small prison. Lilith made herself visible and Danny could tell she was badly injured. A small wound in her chest was leaking ectoplasm and he knew it would only be a matter of time until blood mixed in with it.

She needed serious medical attention and quick.

"Are you crazy?" Danny yelled looking his future daughter over as she refused to take it easy and continued to over exhort herself.

"No." She coughed, a clot of red blood spilled from her mouth as she looked him in the eyes, green met green. For the moment Danny was lost as a swirl of emotion coursed through his body. He felt both pride and anger in the girl's daredevil moves and wanted nothing more than for her to come out of this unharmed. It was then he realized he sounded so much like his own father. The thought both scared and enthralled him. "I just want you in my future." It was silent before she spoke again, tears welled in her eyes. "You don't know the Sam Manson that I do." She said, the enraged glance never once leaving Dan. "She needs you…**I** need you!"

Danny took her words to heart, realization hit him. She was here to stop his death, she was here to be sure he was there for her in the future. Anger welled up in him. He had to make sure there was a future for the both of them.

"I HATE YOU!" Lilith screamed out, the flames died out as her hands flew out in front of her and focused on the evil one before her.

Dan watched confused as a blast of purple shot from her hands and froze his entire body. He was paralyzed, he could feel her anger, her hurt and her pain. He could feel her as if they were one being and though he longed to break free he know it was impossible, she was too strong. He began to feel her waiver, her strength was being used up to focus on keeping him still and she couldn't handle it. Just as he attempted to break through and put her out of her misery he felt a sharp pain enter his side.

His gaze flew towards his younger half and looked down to see an icicle had pierced the spot his heart had once resided. He could feel the air being sucked from his lungs as green ectoplasm poured from the wound. He heard a buzzing in his head and the pressure was becoming too much. He still could not move and knew he would die of the pressure or bleed out before he was able to retaliate.

Suddenly the weight was lifted and he turned to witness Lilith no long in her spot, but instead free falling from the sky. He smiled. He may be dying, he may have lost, but at least he didn't completely fail. He turned to face Danny once more, hoping to destroy him as well. If he couldn't rule the world he would at least leave Sam as a single mother with the knowledge that at sixteen her daughter would die. He could make her witness both their deaths and destroy her emotionally.

"NO!" Danny called out, watching Lilith as she fell. He quickly turned to Dan and fired off one last ectoblast before watching the ghost before him scream out in pain at the unseen threat. Danny watched as before his very eyes Dan disappeared.

Relief set in, his enemy was dead.

"Lilith!" Sam yelled, pulling Danny's attention back to the other problem. Her hand was stretched outward as the young ghost girl fell from the sky and landed on the ground with a loud cry. Sam watched helplessly as the girl lay there, unmoving while Danny hovered above her, his eyes roaming the form before him.

Before Sam could make a move he was at Lilith's side, he seemed to be struggling and she knew she should move and help him, but her feet felt like lead and she couldn't. She was paralyzed. Danny had jumped back slightly as he watched horrified as two rings covered her body and she was transformed back into her civilian attire. He quickly ripped the lower half of her shirt and balled the fabric up before pressing it to her chest.

"SAM!" He called out to her, instantly breaking the spell, pulling her towards him all too quickly. She tripped softly and stumbled until her knees hit the floor, she crawled over to the pair before looking to her boyfriend terrified.

"What can I do?" She begged to know, tears threatening to spill.

"Hold her head and talk to her." He said softly, trying to keep control of his voice, but failing. With every breath and word his body shook, he was scared and Sam knew it.

"Come on, Lilith, wake up." She said softly, her voice shaking as she placed the girl's lifeless head in her lap. "Come on."

"She's your daughter, Sam." Danny got out, hurt and confusion in his eyes. "Talk to her like she is." She locked gazes with him and watched him struggle with his task. She had a hard time still facing the fact that soon someone would be calling her mommy. Now she had to face the fact that said being was unconscious in front of her and near fully grown.

"Lilith, honey?" She tried getting out, gently cupping her chin in her hand. Danny nodded in approval before allowing his human half to take over.

She watched terrified as he pulled off his shirt, revealing his own open wounds, scars, and bruised and burned skin. He pushed the cloth on the same spot he only seconds ago was offering so much attention to. Sam's thoughts were averted to the rag that was Lilith's lower half of her shirt. Though black, she could tell it was soaked with some form of liquid spilling from the gaping hole in her chest. Her stomach did a flip and she could feel bile rising at the back of her throat. The knowledge that this was the fate of the being within her did nothing to help ease her discomfort and sickness.

"Mom?" The voice was soft and weak, as if the owner struggled significantly to get the word out. Danny's gaze shot up and a small smile appeared, but he didn't dare loosen the pressure. Lilith fought to keep her eyes open, the weight of them was too much and she found them slipping closed once again.

"Stay with me!" She got out frantically. Danny looked to her oddly, reminding her it was she who had been addressed. "What is it, Lil? What is it?" She begged softly, tears cascading down her face as she looked to the girl who was her daughter. Her heart flipped slightly she noticed the muscles around her mouth gently move, as if she were trying to smile.

"I-I n-never b-b-bl-blamed you." She whispered, exhaling heavily taking Danny be surprise. Each breath was more difficult than the last and becoming more distant. Sam's eyes went wide as she was brought back by the comment. What could she have done that was so terrible the girl felt the need to utter those words with what was quite possibly her dying breath?

"Shhh." She whispered trying to get her to save her breath for breathing and not worry over something so trivial. She brushed midnight strands of free falling hair back and attempted to offer her a mother's touch.

"It h-h-hurts." She coughed out. Sam looked over to Danny with worry in her eyes; he locked gazes with her and returned the same emotions. The shirt in his hands that had once been white was now covered in a mixture of red and green. She could tell the wound in her chest was much larger then she originally thought, and the liquid was seeping out quicker than Danny could keep it in. He was fighting a losing battle.

"Why isn't she healing?" Sam asked, she knew they both healed faster than most people, their ghost abilities gave them that advantage on their enemies.

"I'm not sure, I think maybe this one is just too much for her. She's not used to self-healing yet. Hell! Until a few months ago she could barely use her powers." He got back, fear and panic were setting in amongst the teens. "You're going to be fine." He got out through hot tears. He tried to keep his tone leveled, but knew it was futile. "The paramedics and my parents are on their way. Just, please, stay with me." He begged, scaring himself and Sam as he pleaded with her to hang on. Both refused to watch their daughter die in their arms.

In the distance salvation pierced the silence in the form of sirens. Lilith struggled to listen in, everything sounded so far away. Her world was becoming thick and hazy. She found the pain in her chest subsiding and a numbing feeling take over. _That can't be good._

"Come on Lilith, hang on." Sam begged, her voice sounded miles away and echoed in her head as a whisper. She sounded desperate, as if she were nearing an emotional breakdown. Perhaps she was.

Despite the distant blinding pain she managed to shake her head 'no' and immediately regretted it as everything around her began to spin before letting her muscles loosen. She heard them both yelling at her and calling her name, but it was so much easier to let go. She found her surrounding world covered in darkness, she was numb and the silence engulfing her was deafening. She let out a large exhale and with it a heavy load seemed to be lifted from her chest.

The remaining feeling was nothing. Not emptiness or fulfillment. Neither joy nor sorrow. Fright nor comfort. Not even remorse or satisfaction. She felt numb, nothing to offer her a sense of what was happening. She lay there, lost in her own world of confusion, where time seemed irrelevant and death lived side by side with life.

**Ok so that was chapter 19. I have one more up my sleeve and then I will be finished. I would like to apologize if this chapter was not the best and for the fact it took so long to update. My computer was infected and had to be wiped clean, so I had to rewrite this chapter from memory and it just didn't turn out as good as the original. Oh well… C'est la vie.**

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	20. Chapter 20

"WAKE UP!" The voice called out, causing the lump on the bed to moan and shift, agitated with the interruption. "Lilith, I swear if you're not up in five minutes I'm sending Benji in." The female voice threatened, the bed shaking violently as the lump refused to move. The woman sounded only slightly frustrated as she smacked Lilith's butt from atop the comforter before exiting the room.

"What's a Benji?" Lilith questioned the empty room, wiping sleep from her eyes as she attempted to crawl out of bed. Her mind was glazed over with sleep as she stumbled over to her window and pulled the satin black curtains open to allow the God awful morning light in. The sight outside took her breath away; she was still in Amity Park. Not that far from where her grandparents lived, either. The 'Fenton Works' sign could be seen in the distance and Lilith felt her heart stop. "I'm still here? WHAT THE FU-."

She had believed this time she won, having defeated Dark Dan and saved her father. But perhaps she was wrong. Maybe she had failed once more, Clockwork having decided to leave her in the past to meet her fate. It would only be a matter of time before Dan found her and destroyed her.

She turned on her heel and quickly rushed over to her vanity mirror, hoping to look herself over. She was shocked to find it was no longer in shards, but instead outlined with a black lace material, adding an exotic eerie feel to the room. The necklace she believed she had left behind with her name rested on her chest in black cursive writing. Her room was as dark as ever, skulls and ravens were the choice of décor as well as an authentic medieval candle that rested on her nightstand. It seemed as if her room from back home was transported to Amity Park and given a small makeover. Before she could even question the madness, she turned to see Clockwork hovering not feet from her in the darkest corner of her bedroom.

"Hello, Lilith." He said smugly.

"Clockwork? What gives?" She asked confused as she searched her new world. Something was different, yet definitely felt familiar.

"You have succeeded; this is now your life." He said smiling proudly at the girl. "In a matter of minutes everything you ever knew will disappear, fragments remaining as distant nightmares. Your new memories will fill your mind and the change will be permanent."

"You mean…my dad's alive?" She questioned softly, a huge smile grew on her face. She had succeeded, she had saved her father's life and thus for saved her mother's as well.

Before Clockwork could answer Lilith felt her knees go weak beneath her and buckle, causing her to fall rather harshly. Her left hand flew to her head while her right managed to break the landing from impacting her face. She felt tears pour from her eyes as an excruciating pain pulsated from her temples and throughout the rest of her head. The world around her spun in a cluster of lights, colors and sounds as she fought to keep a hold on one thought and one image at a time. The pain nearly sucked the air from her lungs as she curled into a ball, crying and holding onto her pounding skull with both hands now, begging for the assault to cease.

"Don't fight it, let the memories and you become one." He whispered sounding so distant. She heard a faint 'Time in' before she was able to open her eyes and reexamine her room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, from what she could make out anyways.

"Lilith, are you awake?" A distant voice broke through her slowly subsiding pain and she couldn't move or answer. Instead, she waited until she found the strength in her legs and managed to stand, slowly dragging her lethargic body back over to her bed where she collapsed, exasperated. "That's it, I'm sending up Benji."

The female voice broke through Lilith's mind and she listened attentively as soft footsteps could be heard climbing up the stairs. She held her breath as the door creaked open enough for the intruder to enter. She remained still, giving a false sense of security before she could feel the shifting of her mattress beneath her, followed by a small being hovering above her.

"WAKE UP!" The young male voice called shaking the girl beneath him as he jumped up and down on the bed, trying to shake her into moving. "illy wake up!"

As soon as she opened her eyes she stared at a small boy, no older than six, jumping up and down above her. His bright blue eyes matched those of her own and she knew this was the dreaded 'Benji' her mother had been talking about.

"I'M AWAKE!" She yelled gently placing her hand over his small face so he couldn't see or talk. She made her hand become intangible and thus for causing him to suffer the same demise. She smiled brightly as he disappeared from her grasp and phased through both her and the mattress, a loud thud signified he was securely under her bed. She sat there silently listening to him giggle before crawling out and running down the hall without so much as a good bye.

She shook her head in a manner of disbelief, a large smile plastered on her face while watching him disappear from view. Satisfied that he was gone, she got up from her bed and made her way over to her vanity mirror and look over her reflection. Her long black hair was a mess of tangles and knots and she knew it would take the better half of the morning to fix it. She sighed heavily before letting her gaze fall to the reflection and turned to see what it revealed. Across her room on a cork board, pictures were cluttered together in a collage. All were of her and a young blonde girl with sparkling green eyes and a boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes. In each picture they all seemed happy to be in the other's company.

Ashleigh and Keith were her best friends since preschool. They had all grown up together and were some of the few people who loved her just for her, and not her ghost powers. Her Uncle Tucker, mother, and father rested in a lone photo off to the side. It had been taken years before her parents ever got together and was a constant reminder of what friendship really was.

Lilith pulled back from the wall and glanced out the window once more, lost in thought. Something about today was different. She didn't know what and couldn't yet begin to contemplate it, yet she felt as if she had finally opened her eyes after years of being blind.

An hour later Lilith found herself walking down the hallway toward the stairs and stopping to look one of the pictures over. It was simple and elegant. Her father stood in a black tux with her Uncle Tucker at his side; he also donned a black tux with a light purple rose over the pocket. Danny stood there, his arms wrapped around Sam in a loose embrace as they both smiled at the photographer. Her mother wore a simple black sleeveless dress that fell loose around her waist, showing signs of a small bulge. In her hands was a black bouquet of roses. They looked happy, young but, truly and utterly happy.

Lilith quickly rushed downstairs, suddenly hungry and took her seat at the breakfast table. Her brother had managed to drown his eggs in syrup before either parent could tell him to take it easy. Her dad had just walked in and made his way over to his wife, placing a soft and gentle kiss on her lips before squeezing her butt.

"Ugh. Gross." Lilith whispered under her breath as her mother giggled, actually giggled, and embraced the man before her. They'd been married almost seventeen years and STILL acted like teenagers, it was a romantic, yet disgusting display for the teen.

"Danny stop it." She muttered turning to place the breakfast potatoes on the table.

"Morning Lil." Her dad said ruffling her brother's hair. The boy smiled happily, stuffing his face full of the sugar eggs.

She watched as her dad took his seat in his usual spot, fresh morning coffee in hand, and started to read the morning paper. A picture of both Danny and Lilith Phantom graced the front page under the caption 'Phantoms Rid Amity of Menace'. She was used to her picture in the media by now; hell her birth alone had covered half the globe. In both this world and the Ghost Zone.

"Go bye-bye." Her brother said to her side, pulling her away from the black and white photo of both her and her father flying through the sky.

"Not now Benji, later." She whispered scooping her own eggs onto her fork before pausing and finding her brother had already ruined them for her. "Really?" She questioned the boy, the syrup dripped from the fork and onto the plate.

"Go bye-bye." He whispered again taking hold of her hand.

"Only because it's your birthday." She whispered turning them both invisible.

Unlike his sister and father, Benji had never acquired his ghost powers, and seemed with every passing year less and less likely to receive them. Instead he would latch on to her, Danny or their cousin Danni and beg them to give him a little fun. Lilith normally found him begging her for more joyous times than anyone else.

"Sam? Where did the kids go?" Danny asked, putting his paper down and looking at the half empty table.

"What kids? I don't have any kids." She played along. They found that by pretending they didn't know where he was, Benji only became more excited.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yup, I'm too young to be a mother." She said smiling to her husband taking a bite of her tofu bacon.

"BOO!" Benji yelled loudly letting go of Lilith's hand and becoming visible yet again.

"Danny, looks like the box ghost followed you home." Sam said laughing as her son turned to his father for a better reaction.

"Not my problem, it's my day off." He said ruffling his son's hair again as he got up from the table and started washing the dishes.

"Come on, Benji. Your grandparents will be here soon. We should get you ready." Sam said getting up from her seat and walking over to her son.

"Mom?" Lilith whispered looking to her mother oddly.

"Yeah, Lil?" She asked and watched shocked as the girl walked over to her mother and embraced her tightly. "What's wrong?" She asked confused at the sudden change of demeanor in her daughter.

"Nothing." She whispered as her mother picked up her chin and looked her in the eyes. Blue met amethyst, fire met fire. "Just feels like months since I last hugged you." She admitted.

"Danny? Did she hit her head yesterday?" Danny shook his head 'no', looking to their teen daughter awkwardly.

"I'm fine." She said moving from her embrace and going about her morning routine while her mother picked her son up and carried him upstairs. "Grandma and grandpa are coming over?" Lilith asked helping her dad clean the kitchen.

"Yup, both my parents and your mother's." Danny said.

"Great." She said half excited and half upset. She loved both of her grandparents. She really did. Her dad's parents were just more amazing, they always brought new gadgets for her to ghost fight with. Her mother's parents were more the opposite. Though they loved their grandkids just as much, they were constantly refusing to call her anything but 'Lily', a name she despised more than anything. She told them to call her Lilith, but her grandmother had complained she sounded too much like Satan's mistress and refused to direct her as such. When she told them Lil was fine her grandfather had just informed her to give up the battle, that she wasn't going to win, and sadly, he was right. Pamela Manson refused to call Lilith Aria Fenton anything besides Lily, much to the disgust of both Lilith and Sam.

"Something wrong Lil?" Danny asked looking down to his daughter who seemed lost in her own thoughts.

"No, it's just today seems different, special really." She looked up to her dad, blue meeting blue and for a brief flash Lilith swore she could remember it all.

"Well, it is Benji's birthday." Danny offered shaking off the weird feeling, he too felt.

"Yeah, I know. But I meant something else." She said turning to exit the kitchen and prepare the house for their guests. Not sure how to explain to her father, what she herself could even understand.

"I know exactly what you mean." Danny mumbled under his breath, though he himself could not place the feeling.

**Well that was it, the final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to have 'The Present in the Past' updated with a new chapter very soon. I lost the Flashdrive with all my info and had to rewrite the next chapter and now that this story is finished I can dedicate my time to that story as well as my novel.**

**I didn't really know where to take this chapter, considering it was more like an epilogue it could have gone anywhere, and I must admit I like where it ended up. Thank you all so much to those who have read, reviewed and put up with my first DP story. You guys are all so amazing and really helped light the fire under my lazy ass. Be on the lookout for the next update of my other story and thank you so much for taking this journey with me.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-Egyptian Princess of 1290 bc**


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